RebirthReverse
by animechick247
Summary: Side story to 'Chained Memories'. Riku travels through Castle Oblivion to get rid of the lingering darkness in his heart. But with Ansem in the way, it's not so easy. Luckily, he has help from an unexprected ally. And will he see Hikari again?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Knight that was Left Behind.

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's the next installment to the 'A Trail of Memories' series. Now we get to see Riku's perspective of Castle Oblivion. Will he find Hikari, or will the darkness overtake him once more?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku. I just own my OC's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Darkness was the only thing that Riku could see.

Even though he found himself floating in the endless abyss of nothingness, he still saw darkness.

It haunted his very dreams as he tried to recall everything that happened before he landed in this very place.

/

_After Hikari freed his heart from Ansem's clutches, Riku found himself in the realm of darkness._

_He didn't know why he had to end up here, but he knew he had to get away._

_If he stayed too long, then he would be tempted by the darkness again, which he did not want. _

_After what he did to Hikari, he just couldn't bear to let that happen again._

_He had met the King when he came here and now they were fighting the heartless._

"_We have to get to the door!" King Mickey cried._

"_We have to make sure Ansem doesn't get to it"_

_Riku was determined to stop Ansem before he made someone else his puppet._

_He kept slashing at the heartless that were in his way._

"_Get out of my way, heartless!" he cried._

_No matter where he went, these pesky little creatures would always get in his way._

_When he saw a glimmer of light in front of him, he noticed that they had reached the doors._

"_The door!" _

_He turned to King Mickey._

"_Your Majesty, what are we going to do?"_

"_Close the door" The King cried._

"_Sora, Hikari and the others should be on the other side"_

_He ran towards the door, he couldn't let the heartless get through on the other side._

_As he grew closer, he heard voices from the other side._

"_Let's close the door!"_

"_Hurry!"_

_He knew those voices. They belonged to Sora and Hikari._

'_Sora! Hikari!' He thought._

_He was so glad to hear their voices._

_He was afraid that they had turned into heartless after their last battle._

'_If I can get through this door…I can go back to my world with them'_

_That was all that he wanted._

_After everything that had happened to him, after everything he did to his closest friends, he just wanted to come back to them and fix everything up._

_But that didn't seem like it was going to happen when he realized that they were having trouble closing the door._

"_It won't budge!"_

"_It's too heavy!"_

_That put him in a dilemma. If he stood on this side, he could easily help them close the doors. But if he did that, he would be trapped here and never return to the islands. _

_He would never return to Hikari._

_But when he heard Hikari scream at the sight of the heartless, he knew that he just had to stay._

"_Don't give up!"_

_He grabbed the side of the door and peered from the other side._

"_Come on you two! Together we can do it!"_

_Sora and Hikari were surprised to see him._

"_Riku!" Hikari cried._

_Riku smiled at her sadly._

'_Hikari' he thought._

_He was so worried about her. _

_After she lost her heart to Ansem's keyblade, he felt his heart drop. He was so scared that she would be gone for good, but here she was. _

"_Hikari, you're ok" he said._

"_I'm so glad"_

_He saw tears pooling up in her eyes._

"_You're back" she choked._

_He nodded._

_He didn't know why she would be so glad to see him, after everything that he did to her, but he was glad that she did._

"_Thanks to you" he said._

"_I'm so sorry for everything. I didn't mean it"_

_Hikari smiled weakly at him._

"_I know" she said._

_When he noticed that the heartless were getting close to the door, he started to pull while Sora pushed._

_He didn't want these things anywhere near Hikari or Sora._

_Hikari panicked when she saw what he was doing._

_She held her hand out towards him._

"_Hurry, Riku! Come on this side!"_

_He looked at her and shook his head._

_As much as he wanted to be on the other side with her, he just couldn't._

_Not when there were so many heartless on this side._

"_The door needs to be closed on both sides" he said._

"_I have to stay on this side"_

_The tears fell from her face._

"_No!" she cried._

_He bit his lip from saying anything. _

_It pained him for doing this, but he wanted to keep her safe. _

_He wanted to protect his princess at all cost._

_Just then, two darksides appeared behind him._

_This wasn't looking good._

"_It's hopeless!" he heard Donald cry._

_He was about to go attack the heartless, but King Mickey appeared on time and took care of them._

"_Your Majesty!"_

_Mickey held up his keyblade._

"_Now Sora and Hikari, let's close this door for good!" he said._

_Riku didn't like the sound of that._

_If this door was closed for good, then he might not see his friends again._

_Hikari seemed to be thinking the same thing._

"_But…"_

_King Mickey grinned at her._

"_Don't worry; there will always be a door to the light!"_

_So that meant that they would see each other again._

'_Thank goodness' he thought._

_He looked at Hikari. _

_He was going to tell her everything was going to be alright, but what he saw caught him off guard._

_He saw her look at her pendant before yanking it off and kissing it._

_He knew that her pendant was her most treasured object, so why would she take it off?_

_She looked at him._

"_Riku!"_

_She grabbed his hand and placed her pendant in it._

"_It's like I said before. My heart belongs to you, it always has"_

_Riku looked stunned._

_He knew how much her lucky charm meant to her, so why would she give it to him of all people?_

"_Hikari…" he said._

_She smiled at him as tears fell from her eyes._

"_It's my lucky charm, be sure to bring it back to me on the islands" she said._

"_Promise?"_

_Riku grinned at her softly._

_So she gave him her most sacred treasure to him just to make sure that he returned to her?_

_He couldn't help but feel happy that someone like her cared for him._

_He leaned forward and softly kissed her on the lips._

_She stole his first kiss back on Hallow Bastion, now it was his turn to steal hers._

"_I promise" he said._

_He turned to the King._

"_Now! They're coming!"_

_The King nodded. _

_Riku looked at Sora._

_He didn't want anything to happen to Hikari while he was away, so he trusted his best friend to look after her._

"_Sora, take care of Kairi…and protect Hikari for me until I come back"_

_Sora nodded._

_Just as the doors were about to close, Riku looked at Hikari one last time._

_He felt that it would be a while until he saw her pretty face, so he wanted to say the thing that he always wanted to tell her._

"_Hikari" _

_She looked at him._

_He smiled at her and mouthed 'I love you' to her._

_He didn't want Sora to hear, so this was the only way he could express his feelings to her._

_It seemed that she heard him because he saw her gasp._

_He smiled as the doors closed completely, never to be open again._

_The last thing he heard before he blacked out was a woman's voice._

"_**To close the door of darkness from both sides, you need three keys and three hearts"**_

/

That was the last thing he remembered before he came to this realm of nothingness.

He simply floated in the abyss as he recalled that moment in his dreams.

He stirred slightly before opening his eyes.

He looked around to find himself in nothingness.

"Where am I…" he asked.

"_Stay asleep" _a voice said.

That startled Riku and made him quickly stand up.

"Who's there?" he called out.

He looked around to see if he could find someone, but found nothing.

"_You should remain asleep" _the voice said.

"_Here, between light and dark"_

Riku became confused.

"Between…what?"

He suddenly realized that the King was missing.

They were both sealed on the other side of the door, so where was he?

"The King! Where's the King?" he asked.

"Together we closed the door to darkness. After that-"

"_You came drifting here by yourself" _the voice said.

"_You did not have the strength to overcome the darkness. Or…maybe you were too close to it"_

Riku scoffed.

After what he let the darkness do to his heart, why would he be close to it?

"Hmph. As if I'm some kind of demon" he said.

"_Turn from the light" _the voice said.

"_Shut your eyes. Here blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But…"_

Just then, something glowed in front of Riku.

The light faded away and turned out to be a card.

"What's this?" he asked.

"_It is a door to the truth" _the voice said.

"_Take it and your sleep ends, as you take the first step towards the truth. But know this: the truth will bring you pain. Will you still go? There is no return to the security of sleep"_

Riku looked at the card as he thought of this.

Should he take it and face the truth that he knew he might not like? Or would he stay here and sleep peacefully?

He turned his hands into fists in a nervous manner.

When he did, he realized that he was holding onto something tightly.

He looked to see that he was holding Hikari's pendant in his hand.

He remembered the promise that they made before Kingdom Hearts was closed.

Just then, he heard a voice in his head.

This voice was different from the one that he heard moments ago.

This one seemed more feminine.

"_You did promise her that you would come back to the islands with her" _it said.

"_How will you do that if you sleep?"_

The voice did have a point.

He wanted to keep his promise to Hikari.

He wanted to see her again.

He grabbed the card and held it tightly in his hand.

"This seemed like a boring place to take a nap anyway" he said.

"_That was very well said, Riku" _the voice said_._

The card glowed brightly and took him out of this realm of nothingness.

The last thing he heard before he left was that woman's voice.

"_Don't worry, Riku. Even if the truth may behard to endure, you'll always have someone there to ease the pain"_

/

**A/N: So Riku's story begins! Will he endure the truth, or will it be too much for him?**

**I'm sure you can guess who that woman's voice was.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	2. Hollow Bastion

Chapter 2: Hollow Bastion.

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so glad that you were hoping for this story to appear. I'm sure everyone wants to know Riku's perspective on everything that's happened. Plus we want to see what's so special about him that Hikari is madly in love with him.**

**Now his trip through Castle Oblivion has begun. Hopefully he's up for the challenges.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku. I just own my OC's**

**Enjoy!**

/

When the light died away, Riku found himself in a pure white room.

Not a single trace of color was seen.

There weren't any windows, or any artifacts.

The only thing that stood out was the door that was on the other side of the room.

Riku looked at it for a moment, then at the card in his hand.

The voice said it held the truth about him.

What exactly did it mean by that?

"A door to the truth, huh…"

He didn't know why, but he felt like he should go through that door.

He walked over to it and held the card up.

The doors glowed for a moment before opening up.

Riku sighed.

"Here goes nothing"

He stepped through to see what was on the other side.

/

When he went into the next room, he was beyond confused.

He had expected to enter in another white room, but instead he found himself in the one place that he least wished to be at.

"This is Hollow Bastion" he said.

Just thinking of all of the horrible things that he did here made him sick to his stomach.

He didn't understand why he was here when he was in a white room only a few seconds ago.

"_What you see is not real" _the voice said.

"_It's the world of your memory"_

That threw Riku off.

"My memory?"

He looked around for the owner of the voice, but he didn't find anyone.

"_The things you remember from your time at Maleficent's castle became a card, and that card made this world" _the voice said.

"_You've seen everything here before, haven't you?"_

Riku had a grim expression on his face.

"Yeah" he said.

He knew this place well alright. This was the place where he became Ansem's puppet and turned Hikari into a heartless.

Just reliving that image tore his heart in two.

He looked up at the sky, thinking that the voice was there somewhere.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Am I going to learn something? Maybe meet someone?"

"_You would meet the people in your memories. Ordinarily" _the voice said.

"What does that mean?" Riku asked.

When the voice didn't say anything, he grew irritated.

"Hey! I'm asking you a question!"

When he got no response, he growled.

"Fine" he said.

"But it had better be you I run into next, Voice"

He walked through the castle that he had spent after he left the islands.

This was going to be a very interesting experience.

/

Hallow Bastion was the same as he remembered.

It was dark, gloomy, and filled with heartless.

He didn't have to worry about them the last time he was here.

Back then, he had control over them.

But now that he didn't, he had to fight his way through the castle.

It wasn't so hard.

He was the toughest fighter back on the islands.

He was the reason that Hikari wanted to fight.

As he thought of her, he couldn't help but hope he would see her.

"The voice did say I would meet people that I knew from here" he said.

"And since I saw Hikari here, maybe I'll see her"

He heard that woman's voice in his head.

She seemed to be laughing at his idea.

"_What a cute theory" _she said.

"_But very true. This was her home world, so your chances of running into her are 5_0%"

He didn't know where this voice was coming from, but it put him at ease.

While the other voice set him on edge, this one calmed his nerves.

It almost seemed familiar to him, like it reminded him of someone.

He continued walking through the castle, hoping that he would find the girl that he loved most.

/

As he walked through the castle, he found himself in a room that was connected to the library.

There was a small bookshelf with a bed and desk.

Riku looked around the room.

His room.

"Everything IS just how I remember it" he said.

"Even this room…"

"_It must be nice being back in your old bedroom" _the voice said.

"_Think of all the memories…"_

Riku glared up at the ceiling.

"You again" he said.

"Sorry, but these memories I could do without. Maleficent gave me this room"

Just thinking about that witch made him growl.

She tricked him into thinking that Hikari didn't love him and that Sora was trying to take her away from him.

She used him.

"_So she did" _the voice said.

"_And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything…but at least they gave you a nice room"_

Riku glared up at the ceiling.

He didn't want to remember that he threw everything that was important to him away.

He wanted to see other worlds and he threw his loved ones away like they were garbage.

The voice didn't have to rub it in his face.

"Stop talking!" he yelled.

He went to run out of the room in anger, but the voice in his head stopped him.

"_A nice room?" _she said.

"_Please. I've seen better places than this. Not only did Maleficent lack the latest taste in fashion, but she had bad decoration skills"_

Riku couldn't help but crack a smirk.

He really needed that.

"_At least there's someone out there who knows how to lighten the mood" _he thought.

"_Even if I can't see them"_

He calmly left the room and traveled through the castle some more.

/

As he entered the main lobby, he couldn't help but feel depressed.

Through all of his searching, he didn't find one person.

The only things that were here were just heartless.

"No one here either" he said.

He remembered that this was the room where Hikari managed to get the upper hand on him.

He thought that he was the real keyblade master, but Sora and Hikari proved him wrong.

"There's nothing but heartless in this castle"

He jumped off the ledge and landed on the bottom floor.

He had hoped that he would see Hikari, but she was nowhere in sight.

He looked up at the ceiling, hoping the voice would explain what was going on.

"Voice!" he called.

"I know you're watching-so explain this! Where are the people from my memories?"

'_Where's Hikari?' _he wanted to add.

"_Do you want to see them?" _the voice asked.

"Of course I do!" Riku cried.

He wanted to see Sora and Hikari so badly.

"_But you cast them aside" _the voice reminded him.

That threw Riku off.

"What?"

"_You dreamt of the outside world, and you passed through the door to darkness" _the voice said.

"_Behind you, you left family, friends, home- everything- all in pursuit of darkness. You even left the girl that you claimed to love"_

Riku growled.

True, he did all of that, but not anymore.

"But I cast that aside, too!" he shouted.

"_And what do you have to show for it?" _the voice asked.

"_First your home, then the dark. Your heart only knows how to cast away. It's empty-like that room. Like your memories. That's why you don't meet anyone. Your heart is hollow-except for the residual darkness"_

Riku glared up at the ceiling.

How dare this voice claim he threw everything away?

He would never throw away the memories he made with his friends.

They meant more to him than anything else in the world.

"You're wrong!" he said.

"I rejected the darkness!"

The voice just laughed at him.

"_Did you really, now?" _it asked.

Riku didn't know what to say.

How could he prove to someone that he couldn't see that he was right?

"_Don't listen to that voice, Riku" _the voice in his head said.

"_You know better than anyone how your heart works. Don't let those words fool you. What can a voice know about your heart?"_

The voice did have a point.

No one knew his heart better than him

He wasn't going to let some voice say that his heart threw everything away.

He left the lobby and search the castle some more.

"_I won't leave here until I find someone" _he thought.

/

When he reached the castle's chapel, he eventually found someone.

However, it was someone he wished that he never saw again.

The evil sorceress, Maleficent stood before him and wore an evil grin on her face.

"I knew you would return, Riku" she said.

Riku glared at her.

"Maleficent! You're alive?"

He had hoped that he would never see her ugly face again.

Just thinking about siding with her made his blood boil.

It was because of her that he believed that Hikari never loved him.

"You haven't been paying attention" Maleficent said.

"I am but a figment of your memory"

Riku sighed in frustration.

He had hoped that he would see either Sora or Hikari, but instead, he had to see her.

"Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you" he said.

"But of course" Maleficent said.

"After all, your heart is stepped in darkness. You can only see those who exist in that same darkness"

Riku panicked a little.

So he couldn't see his friends?

"No!" he said.

Maleficent just chuckled at him.

"Be grateful you have someone to keep you company" she said.

"Your heart is empty. Were it not for the darkness it contains, you would be completely lonely"

Riku glared at her.

"That sounds pretty good right about now" he said.

If the darkness in his heart brought him people like Maleficent, then he didn't want to see anyone here.

"Come, now" Maleficent said.

"You once turned to me to sate your hunger for darkness. You want me here. Who but I can grant you that darkness you long for?"

Riku ground his teeth.

"There was a time I did want you around" he said.

"I surrendered my heart to the darkness"

"_And nearly killed the girl that I love most" _he thought.

"But never again. You and your darkness have nothing to offer"

He walked past her and looked over his shoulder.

"All I did was lose myself…empty myself!" he said.

"I'm finished with all that. If I'm stuck seeing people like you, people of the dark…I'll take you out one by one"

Maleficent simply walked away from him.

"Then you mustn't forget to destroy yourself last" she said.

"For, like me, you are one of the dark"

"That's fine with me" Riku said.

"I turned to the darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It's like I'm my own enemy. And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just makes it worse! Enough talk, Maleficent"

Maleficent turned to face him.

"So you hate the darkness enough to fight it" she said.

"Oh, the agony you must feel! Then let me end your pain, Riku-end it forever…with the wondrous power of darkness!"

She suddenly burst into green flames and transformed into a mighty dragon.

Riku pulled out his soul eater and faced her.

He had never fought with Maleficent, so he had no idea what she was capable of.

Every time he tried to hit her, she would attack him with her tail.

He would always have to jump out of the way to prevent himself from getting hit.

Maleficent would try to snap at him with her sharp teeth, but he would block them with his soul eater.

He growled in frustration.

How was he supposed to defeat her when she didn't give him an opening?

"_Aim for her chest" _the voice in his head said.

"_The hide on her chest is weaker than it is on her entire body. When she lifts herself up to breath her fire, that's when you strike. Hikari was able to do, so you should be able to"_

At the mention of Hikari's name, he pulled out her lucky charm.

He kept it within his pocket for safe keeping.

He held onto it tightly.

"_Hikari…give me strength" _

He put the pendant away and prepared his next move.

When he saw Maleficent stand up to breath her fire, that's when he striked.

He impaled his soul eater right through her chest and watched as she screeched in pain.

The evil sorceress burst into green flames, never to be seen again.

"Well, that's one person down" Riku said.

He pulled out Hikari's good luck charm.

"Thanks, Hikari. I couldn't have done it without you"

He placed it around his neck and hid it underneath his vest.

As he left Hallow Bastion, he heard the voice in his head speak to him again.

"_Don't worry, Riku. You have the power to overcome the darkness"_

He hoped that those words would come true.

/

**A/N: So Riku has finished his first world. I wonder who he'll run into next? And who was that voice that kept talking into Riku's head.**

**You'll just have to review to find out.**

**Ja ne**


	3. An Unexpected Ally

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Ally

**A/N: Hello everyone! We're up with the next chapter to Riku's story. As the title says, he gets help from someone he least expected. I wonder who it could be? You'll just have to read to find out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own my OC's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

When Riku left Hollow Bastion, he found himself entering another white room that was similar to the one that he was in before.

He walked through the doors and went for the next one.

He didn't know where he was, but he wanted to find the answers.

He wanted to know why he was sent here.

He wanted to know the truth about himself.

"_Why do you shun the darkness?" _the voice asked him.

Riku stopped walking and looked up at the ceiling.

"Hmph. Come on, I know you heard me-every word I said to Maleficent" he said.

"_Darkness is your weapon" _the voice said.

"_It is time you learned you must accept it"_

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

The voice wanted him to use the darkness as his weapon?

Fat chance in that happening.

"_Stop resisting. Accept the darkness. You have no choice…"_

Just then, a dark portal appeared in front of him and out came no other than Ansem.

"…If you are to serve me again" he finished.

Riku glared at him.

He thought that he would never see his face again.

So this was the voice that was talking to him this whole time.

The voice that made him feel like crap.

"I thought it was you…Ansem" he said.

Ansem just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh. You don't seem surprised" he said.

Riku just glared at him.

"All you have been talking about is the darkness" he said.

"I can only assume you wanna pull me back in…so you can play puppet master"

Ansem laughed darkly.

"Clever boy" he said.

"I knew you'd be the one to most appropriately serve me. And now, surrender to me again-"

"You're crazy!" Riku cried.

"Not a chance!"

There was no way he would serve him again. Not when it almost killed him the last time.

He pulled out his soul eater and charged at him.

Ansem merely blocked him and threw him back.

Riku skidded across the ground.

"Did you really think you could do me harm?" Ansem asked.

"A weakling like you couldn't even defeat Sora and Hikari-and you had darkness on your side"

Riku painfully sat up.

He never realized Ansem held so much power.

"Excuse me…for being weak…" he said.

Ansem slowly walked over to him.

"You are weak" Ansem said.

"You need darkness. Surrender. Bow to darkness. Bow to me"

Riku growled at him.

"That's not gonna happen!" he declared.

Ansem stopped walking when he was a foot away from him.

"Only the darkness can offer to you all of the strength that you will need"

"You're wrong!" someone said.

Riku was startled to that voice.

That belonged to the King.

A sphere of light floated down towards him and floated around him.

"That voice…" he said.

"You're majesty?"

The light stopped when it was in front of him.

"That's right!" King Mickey said.

"Remember Riku, you're not alone"

The light dimmed and went into Riku's chest.

He placed his hand over his chest and heard the king's voice.

"Listen close" he said.

"The light'll never give up on you. You'll always find it, even in the deepest darkness!"

Riku nodded.

"I got it" he said.

He slowly stood up and drew out his soul eater.

"I won't lose to darkness" he said.

"Not today"

Ansem just smirked evilly at him.

"You think that feeble little light can save you from the darkness that I command?" he asked.

Riku didn't say anything as he aimed his soul eater at him.

If he was going to fight him alone, then so be it.

Just as he was about to attack, a bright light glowed from under his vest.

"What?"

He unzipped it slightly and saw that Hikari's pendant was glowing brightly.

He carefully picked it up and looked at it in amazement.

"What's going on?"

Ansem looked like he was angry and horrified at the same time.

"Where did you get that?" he ordered.

Riku was about to say something, but someone interrupted him.

"_That will be enough from you, Ansem!"_

It was that voice he heard in his head back in Hollow Bastion.

The pendant shook a little before a sphere of light came out of it.

The light grew brightly and took the shape of a person.

When the light died out a woman wearing a long white gown stood in front of Riku protectively.

Riku noticed that this woman looked a lot like Hikari.

She had the same brown hair and green eyes as she did.

The only difference was that her hair reached past her waist and her eyes seemed to be a bit brighter.

The woman glared at Ansem as she drew out a staff that had a sun like symbol at the end.

Ansem glared at the woman.

"Taiyouko" he hissed.

"What are you doing here?"

Taiyouko glared daggers at the evil man.

"I could be asking you the same question, Ansem" she said.

"Last I checked, Sora and Hikari defeated you at Kingdom Hearts. How is it that you're still alive?"

Ansem chuckled darkly.

"As long as there's darkness, I'll never cease to exist" he said.

"I live on through that boy you're protecting"

Riku didn't know what was going on.

Who the heck was this woman that came out of Hikari's pendant, and why did she seem to know Ansem?

Ansem looked like he knew who this person was, with the way he was talking to her.

He didn't say anything and jut watched what was happening.

Ansem couldn't believe that he would see her here of all places.

He was just about to make Riku his puppet again, and then she had to show up.

She was always running his plans.

"Where's your precious daughter?" he asked.

"Last time I saw you, you were with her"

Taiyouko just scoffed at him.

"She's a big girl, she doesn't need me breath down her shoulder all the time" she said.

"Besides, I thought I smelled something fishy, so I tagged along with Riku. And who do I find in this place, but you"

Ansem chuckled darkly.

"I'm in need of my puppet" he said.

"Now if you would be so kind as to step away from Riku, I will be on my way"

Taiyouko glared at him and gripped her staff tightly.

"Sorry, not a chance" she said.

"You'll have to take him from my cold, dead hands"

Ansem just smirked darkly as he raised up his hand.

"That can be arranged" he said.

Riku didn't like where this was going.

This woman was going to get killed for protecting him.

Didn't she realize how powerful he was?

He couldn't let this happen.

He ran in front of her and stood protectively in front of her.

"Leave her out of this, your fight it with me" he said.

Ansem just looked at him for a moment before lowering his hand.

He studied him for a moment before scoffing.

"It seems to me that you are intent on resisting the darkness" he said.

"All right. Then see it for yourself"

He held up a card.

"This is a card crafted from your memory" he explained.

"Advance through the world it creates and soon you will understand…chasing light is not the way. It will not give you distance from the darkness. There is no running from the darkness"

Riku glared at him.

"Don't worry. I'm not running. Give it" he said.

"I'll enter the world and in the end, if I haven't given in to the darkness…then I win"

Taiyouko stood next to him.

"Riku, don't be so rational" she said.

"Ansem is someone you do not want to mess with"

Riku looked at her.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing" he said.

Ansem handed him the card.

"I have one more gift for you" he said.

He waved his hand.

Darkness surrounded around Riku's chest.

He grabbed it in fear as he watched the darkness fade away.

Taiyouko gasped and glared at Ansem.

"What'd you do?" she cried.

Ansem just smirked.

"I simply tampered the darkness that yet remains in his heart" he said.

Riku glared at him.

"You'd still think that I'd rely on the darkness?" he asked.

"To use it or not is your choice" Ansem said.

"I'll be waiting, Riku…for you to sense it and yield to the darkness in your heart!"

Taiyouko glared at him.

"You monster!"

She shot a beam of light out of her staff and aimed it at him.

Ansem simply smirked and vanished into a dark portal before it could hit him.

Taiyouko cursed under her breath and dismissed her weapon.

/

When Ansem left, Riku took this as the chance to check his new guest.

Now that he saw her properly, he could tell that she looked exactly like Hikari, but an older version.

Taiyouko seemed to be studying him as well, only she was checking to see if he was alright.

"Are you alright, Riku?" she asked.

That startled him a little.

How did she know his name?

He also noticed that her voice sounded very familiar.

"Um, I'm fine" he said.

"But how do you know my name?"

Taiyouko giggled.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself properly"

She held her hand out for him to shake.

"I'm Taiyouko-Hikari's mother"

Riku's eyes bugged out as he shook her hand.

"Mother?" he cried.

So that explained why she looked so much like Hikari.

This was her mother.

Taiyouko laughed at his reaction.

"Yep. I'm her mother" she said.

Riku just looked at her.

What in the world was going on?

Why was Hikari's mother here? And why did she come out of Hikari's pendant?

Taiyouko rubbed her head as she laughed nervously.

"I guess I got a lot of explaining to do" she said.

"It's kind of a long story, so I'll try to make it short"

Riku nodded.

Taiyouko sighed before she began talking.

"10 years ago, my world was taken over by the heartless thanks to Maleficent and Ansem. In a desperate attempt to protect Hikari from Ansem, I sealed a portion of my heart inside her pendant and kept an eye on her ever since. I've been helping her though her journeys as a keyblade mistress and helped her defeat Ansem. When she gave you her lucky charm, I became stuck with you on the other side of the door"

Riku let this all soak in.

So she was with Hikari this whole time and she didn't even know it?

"_Then again, Hikari lost her memories when she came to the island. I doubt that she would know about this"_

Taiyouko gave him a weak grin.

"I sure this is all confusing to you" she said.

Riku rubbed the back of his head.

"It is a little" he admitted.

"But at least I know you're a good guy"

Taiyouko nodded.

"That I am" she said.

She looked at the card that was in Riku's hand.

"Well…are you going to use that?" she asked.

Riku looked at the card for a moment.

Even though Ansem gave it to him, he had a feeling that he should use it.

Besides, he wanted to prove that he didn't need to use the power of darkness.

"Yeah, I will" he said.

"I want to prove to Ansem that I don't need his help"

Taiyouko nodded in understanding.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Riku looked at her surprised.

"You're going with me?"

Taiyouko nodded as she smiled.

"Of course I am" she said.

"You don't honestly think that I would let a young boy fight Ansem all by himself. I'm here to protect you"

She rubbed her head nervously.

"Plus, I'm bound to Hikari's pendant, so wherever you go, I must follow. Sorry"

Riku shook his head.

"It's fine" he said.

"I just hope you don't mind being near someone who's been tainted by the darkness"

Taiyouko just grinned.

"I'm fine with it" she said.

"Besides, the light can be a bit bright for me"

She pointed towards the door in front of them.

"Let's go. We won't gain anything by just standing here"

Riku chuckled slightly.

"True"

He lead the way while Taiyouko followed.

As he looked at her, he couldn't help but feel at ease.

He was getting help from none other than Hikari's mother.

While they walked, he felt grateful for getting help from such an unexpected ally.

/

**A/N: So Riku has a traveling companion in Castle Oblivion, and it's none other than Taiyouko! I'm sure some of you knew this might happen, and if not, Surprise! **

**I'm sure she's going to make Riku's task of defeating Ansem a lot easier now that she's with him.**

**Sorry if her intro wasn't good, but at least I tried.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	4. The Bond We Make

Chapter 4: The Bond We Make

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm glad some of you liked it that Taiyouko has joined up. Hopefully, she won't make Riku's journey too crazy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Deep within the basements of Castle Oblivion, a young Organization member with steel-blue hair pondered over something.

He had felt a few presences enter the castle and he was trying to figure it out.

A few seconds later, a dark portal appeared and out came another Organization member.

Unlike his comrade, he was more muscular and had bronze colored hair.

He didn't say anything as he looked at his friend.

The younger Organization member just sighed.

"Don't I even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?" he asked.

Before Lexaeus could say anything, another portal appeared and out popped Vexen.

The scientist looked at the two of them before walking up to them.

"What is going on here, Zexion?" he asked.

"I want an explanation"

"Nice to see you too, Vexen" Zexion said sarcastically.

He crossed his arms across his chest and let his chin rest in one of his hands.

"It's such a shame" he said.

"The Organization used to be the rope that bound us together"

Vexen glared at him.

"You're only number 6!" he cried.

"How dare you-"

"Let it go, Vexen" Lexaeus said.

Vexen glared at him.

Lexaeus just ignored it and looked at Zexion.

"Zexion, tell us. What did you detect?"

"Visitors" he said plainly.

"I picked up two scents in the castle's lowest basement. One of them was Maleficent-"

Vexen scoffed.

"Don't be absurd" he said.

"The witch is gone. She cannot return from the realm of darkness of her own volition"

Zexion looked at him dully.

"If you would let me finish…" he said.

"The scent belonged not to the real Maleficent but to a very convincing double. But I truly cannot say much beyond that since the double is no more. Our other visitor saw to that"

"And who is it?" Lexaeus asked.

"I do not know for sure…."Zexion said.

"But the scent was very similar to that of the Superior"

"And yet, not exactly the same was it?" Vexen said.

Zexion nodded.

Vexen held his chin in thought.

"This truly piques my curiosity" he said.

Zexion just ignored him.

"Now-what to do?" he said.

He looked at Lexaeus for an answer.

The silent giant didn't say anything for a moment.

"We wait-see what develops" he said.

/

Back with Riku, he and Taiyouko walked up to the next level of the castle.

There were few words that were spoken between them.

It wasn't as though things were awkward with them, but the silence relaxed them a bit.

As they were walking, Riku suddenly stopped.

Taiyouko looked over her shoulder and stopped.

She looked concerned as she saw him just standing there.

She quickly went over to him.

"Riku? Are you ok?"

She was worried that he was affected by what Ansem did to him earlier.

"Something smells…funny…" he said.

Taiyouko raised an eyebrow at him.

She didn't smell anything at all.

Riku just looked at himself.

"What's that scent?" he asked himself.

"It's so familiar…"

Taiyouko was starting to get worried.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"What do you smell?"

Riku suddenly realized what it was.

"Darkness" he said.

"It's the scent of darkness"

Now it all made sense to her.

He probably smelled the darkness since Ansem still lingered in his heart.

Riku looked at the ground sadly.

"I can't believe this is happening" he said.

"The darkness even seeped into my skin…"

Taiyouko looked at him sadly.

She felt so bad for him.

He had to suffer because of Ansem.

She placed her hand over his shoulder.

"Riku" she said.

"Don't worry, Riku"

Both of them looked up when they heard the King's voice.

They both saw the sphere of light that made up the king.

"Your Majesty!" Riku cried.

The light came down to their level and transformed into the King.

King Mickey smiled at them, while they smiled back.

Riku suddenly panicked when he saw that the King was transparent.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I can see…right through you"

Mickey looked at his body.

"Funny, huh?" he said.

"I can only send a bit of my power to this place. That's why I have a request for ya"

"Request?" Riku asked.

The King nodded.

"Listen, Riku. Just because darkness holds you, don't let go of who you are" he said.

"You've got to fight the darkness inside you! It won't be easy to do, I know. But please don't forget. Even in the darkest darkness, there's always a little bit of light"

"Light within darkness…" Taiyouko said.

"Just like the story I used to tell Hikari"

King Mickey smiled at Taiyouko.

"It's been ages, Taiyouko" he said.

Taiyouko grinned as she curtsied.

"Indeed it has, your Majesty. You haven't changed at all"

Mickey grinned before looking at Riku.

"You and I have seen it" he said.

"The far, welcoming light inside the door to darkness…the light of Kingdom Hearts- it will show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's a request from my heart"

Taiyouko nodded in encouragement.

"He's right" she said.

"Besides, you promised to be Hikari's knight in shining armor. How are you going to protect her if you don't overcome the darkness in your heart?"

Riku thought it over.

He remembered that he made a promise to Hikari when they were kids. He swore that he would always protect her, and make sure she was safe.

He nodded.

"Okay…I'll do my best" he said.

King Mickey grinned.

"That's good to hear" he said.

Taiyouko smiled as well.

"And don't forget, I'm here to help" she said.

"I may not look like it, but I'm a very powerful sorceress. I won't let anything happen to you as long as I'm around"

Riku looked at her gratefully.

"Thank you" he said.

"Trust me. I'll try to find a way to reach you both" King Mickey said.

"I'll get there, I promise. But in the mean time, try to stay together. I don't know much about this place, but I know it's not good. You'll need to depend on each other's strengths to get through here"

He held out his hand as a way of promising them.

Riku and Taiyouko went to grab his hand, but they phased through his.

"You're an illusion…" Riku said.

"Don't worry" the King said.

"We shook hands in our hearts, remember? We're connected, the three of us"

Taiyouko giggled slightly.

"Guess we are" she said.

With that, King Mickey vanished, leaving the two of them alone.

Everything was fine for a moment, before Taiyouko swayed slightly.

Riku panicked a little and held her to keep her steady.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

She nodded as she smiled at him weakly.

"I'm fine" she said.

"It's just that, I can't stay out of the pendant for too long, or else my powers start to drain. Since I've just recently came out of it, I'm still trying to regain my strength"

Riku looked concerned.

"Will you be ok?"

"Yes. I just need to go back into the pendant and rest up a bit. I'm sure during our travels, I'll be able to stay out of it longer until I'm able to stay out of it permanently. Sorry about the inconvenience"

Riku shook his head.

"Don't worry about it" he said.

"I just hope you'll be fine"

Taiyouko smiled.

"Don't worry, I will be. I promised Hikari that I would protect you, and I shall. Even when I'm in the pendant, I'll still help you"

Riku nodded and help up Hikari's lucky charm.

"Then why don't you rest? I can take care of myself for a bit"

Taiyouko looked at him gratefully.

"Thank you"

She turned into a sphere of light and went back into the pendant.

"_Remember, Riku" _she said in his head.

"_No matter what hardships you may face, you'll never be alone"_

Riku looked at the pendant and placed his hand over it.

He was grateful that he had someone who was willing to help him, even if he was tainted by the darkness.

And who better could it be than Hikari's mother?

He smiled gently as he thought about her.

"_Don't worry, Hikari" _he thought.

"_I'll protect your mom, no matter what"_

He went up to the door that stood at the other end of the room and went into one of the worlds that were made up from his memory.

/

**A/N: (Sweat drops) I know this wasn't much, but I just wanted to show our heroes forming their bond with each other. **

**The next chapter will focus more about Riku forming a bond with Taiyouko. We even learn a little about the powers of a sorceress. It should be interesting, I'm sure.**

**For those who didn't think this chapter sucked, please review and tell me what you think.**

**For those who thought it did, I apologize.**

**Ja ne**


	5. The Origins of a Sorceress

Chapter 5: The Origins of a Sorceress

**A/N: Hey everyone! We're here with the next chapter! Riku gets to learn a bit about the powers of a sorceress and their origins.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Back within the basement of Castle Oblivion, Zexion had finally found out whom that other scent belonged to.

"I have identified the scent" he said.

"It is Riku"

Vexen, who a pacing this whole time stopped to look at him.

"Riku you say?" he asked.

"Has he emerged from the realm of darkness?"

Zexion nodded.

"His existence-it was once doubled in the darkness" he said.

Vexen grinned.

"Fascinating ….that's why you mistook him for the superior" he said.

"The dark power given to Riku facilitated his escape from its realm"

Zexion held his chin in thought.

"What I want to know is why he appeared in Castle Oblivion" he said.

"That's really quite simple" Vexen said.

"His existence resonates with that of two other heroes"

This caught Zexion and Lexaeus' attention.

"Sora and Hikari are in the castle?" Zexion asked.

Vexen nodded.

"They arrived earlier" he said.

"Marluxia is already using Namine's unique powers to meddle with their hearts"

Zexion sighed.

"Without even consulting us" he said.

Vexen scoffed.

"It seems that he desperately wants the keyblade masters for himself-what a foolish plan indeed" he said.

"Sora and Hikari are not such interesting existences. The entity that holds true value-is Riku, the hero of darkness"

/

Back with Riku, he had finally made it to the next floor.

That last world that he went to was a little more difficult than he had thought it would be.

He had a few scratches from when the heartless attacked him.

He growled in frustration.

"Stupid heartless" he mumbled.

Hikari's pendant glowed and out came Taiyouko.

The sorceress looked at him worriedly as she saw all of his cuts.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

Riku nodded.

"I'm fine" he said.

"A few scratches won't slow me down"

Taiyouko held her hand up.

"Let me heal you" she said.

"You might get an infection from those cuts"

Her hand glowed slightly as she cast a cure spell on him.

Within seconds, his cuts were healed.

Riku looked at his body when the cuts were gone.

Taiyouko smiled at her work.

"That should do it" she said.

Riku looked at her.

"It seems like you can do just about anything with magic" he said.

Taiyouko laughed.

"Well, that is the upside to being a sorceress. You can do just about anything"

Riku puzzled over something for a moment.

If Taiyouko was a sorceress, did that make Hikari one?

"Is Hikari a sorceress too?" he asked.

Taiyouko nodded.

"Yes" she said.

"She's a sorceress who has powers over memories of the heart. She's able to see someone's past if she touches them or makes direct eye contact with them"

"_So that explains her strange powers" _Riku thought.

He always wondered how she got them.

Taiyouko pointed to herself.

"I, on the other hand, am a sorceress who has powers over the sun. I'm what you call, one of the sorceress' of light"

Riku looked confused.

"Sorceress' of light?" he repeated.

Taiyouko nodded.

"There are two different categories of sorceress'. There are the sorceress' of light, and sorceress' of darkness. The ones, who support the darkness, are usually the bad ones"

Riku didn't need to think too hard about which sorceress' would align themselves with darkness.

"I take it Maleficent is one of them?"

Taiyouko nodded grimly.

Riku sighed.

He had been working with a sorceress of darkness and he didn't even know it.

Taiyouko knelt in front of him and patted his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad" she said.

"I know you sided with Maleficent, but it's not your fault. I fought with her for years on my world, so I know how she manipulates people. She likes to pick on people's weakness's and use them to her liking. She must have thought that Hikari was your weakness, so she made you think that Hikari didn't love you, am I right?"

Riku nodded.

"Yeah, but how would you know that?"

"While I was traveling with Hikari, I everything that she saw"

"Oh"

Taiyouko gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Don't be upset. It's not your fault. If anything, you should be lucky that you were with Maleficent and not some other sorceress of darkness. Maleficent is a pussy cat compared to other dark sorceress' that I've encountered"

Riku looked up at her dully.

"Really?" he asked.

Taiyouko nodded.

"I once knew a dark sorceress who had power over time. That's a very dangerous power to wield, and she knew it. She was so deep within the darkness, that she wanted to compress time together"

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Compress time? What's that?"

"It's where you merge the past, present, and future into one single moment"

"Is that dangerous?"

"Very. Any power over any part of time is dangerous. Time is something that should not be tampered with. It doesn't matter how much we want to change our past and present, it simply cannot be done, otherwise it would mess up the future"

She suddenly thought of something.

"But now that I think about it, Hikari has some sort of power over time. Since she has the power over memories, then that means she has a tiny bit of power over the past"

Riku swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

Just hearing about sorceress' being dangerous made him nervous.

If Hikari was one of them, then she was going to have a hard life.

"Does that make Hikari dangerous?"

He didn't want to believe that she was.

He knew Hikari would never harm anyone just to have power. She was far too sweet for that. Even if she was dangerous, he would still protect her.

She was his light and he would fight anyone who took her away.

Taiyouko giggled at Riku's look.

She knew what she was thinking.

"Of course not" she said.

"All though, she is a danger to other sorceress'. Sorceress' are dangerous to each other, period. They crave for power and they'll kill each other just to get it. Even normal people fear the powers of a sorceress. We make look normal, but people can always tell. We have traits that make us standout"

She looked at Riku sadly.

"I'm sure you noticed that with Hikari when she arrived on your islands?"

Now that she mentioned it, Riku did notice that Hikari stood out.

Normally, people on the islands had sky blue eyes. It saw said it was their connection to the oceans.

Even Kairi, who wasn't from the islands, had the same eye color.

But when Hikari came to the islands, she stood out like a sore thumb.

Her emerald green eyes made her stand out so badly, that people would talk about it.

They would say that they were so unusual, like they had never seen that kind of shade before.

He remembered how it made her feel uncomfortable with everyone staring.

He remembered how some of the kids on the islands wouldn't play with her because they thought she was weird.

He didn't understand why they would act that way.

He always thought they were so pretty. They looked like fresh cut gems.

When he didn't say anything to Taiyouko, she knew that he agreed with her.

"Nobody wants to be near a sorceress" she said.

"With great power comes with great fear"

She stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress.

"Well, let's get going" she said.

"We're not going to gain anything by just standing here"

She started walking towards the stairs.

Riku just stood where he was at.

Everything that Taiyouko said made his mind spin.

How could people fear sorceresses?

He had been with Hikari ever since she arrived at the islands, and he found nothing scary about her.

He always enjoyed her presence and wanted her near.

Whenever someone was giving her a look, he would just glare at them and keep her safe.

He was her knight.

When he looked up at Taiyouko, he couldn't help but feel sad for her.

From the way that she spoke, it sounded like she didn't have anyone in her life.

She might have had Hikari, but that wasn't the same as someone who loved her.

An idea suddenly came to his head.

He rushed over to Taiyouko and stood in front of her.

"I'll protect you" he said.

Taiyouko looked startled at his little outburst.

"What?"

Riku grinned and pointed to himself.

"I'll protect you" he repeated.

"You said that nobody wants to be near a sorceress, well that's not true. Hikari's a sorceress and want to be by her all the time. She completes me and makes me feel wonderful. She makes me want to protect her and be her knight"

He rubbed his head.

"But since we got separated at Kingdom Hearts, I had to have Sora protect her for me until we see each other again"

He looked at Taiyouko and gave her a gentle smile.

"But since I'm with you, I can be your knight. You may be a sorceress, but your also Hikari's mother. You must have been important to her, so I'll protect you for her until we're reunited"

Taiyouko looked stunned.

She was quiet for a moment before she broke out into a grin.

"I'm starting to see why Hikari loves you so much"

Riku blushed at the mention of Hikari.

Taiyouko giggled.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Riku nodded.

"Right"

They both walked up the steps, unaware of what was to happen on the next floor.

/

**A/N: So Riku has decided to protect Taiyouko and be her knight on this journey.**

**Isn't that sweet? But it won't be for long. **

**And if you're a Final Fantasy fan, I'm sure you know which evil sorceress I'm talking about. **

**We face up with our least favorite scientist in the next chapter.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne!**


	6. Seeing Old Faces

Chapter 6: Seeing Old Faces

**A/N: I'm sure everyone is looking forward to seeing our least favorite scientist! Riku and Taiyouko are just going to wipe the floor with him.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Riku and Taiyouko made it up to the next floor of the castle.

Riku looked over at his companion.

"Are you alright, Miss. Taiyouko?" he asked.

Taiyouko busted out laughing as she heard this.

She wiped the tears that formed into her eyes.

"'Miss'?" she asked.

"Just call me Taiyouko, dear"

She held her side as her laughter subsided.

She smiled at him and held his face gently.

"I'm not that old to be called that" she said.

"I'm not even in my thirties yet"

Riku sweat dropped.

"You're….not?" he asked.

Now that she mentioned it, she didn't look that old.

As he studied her facial features, he noticed that she had the face of a teenager almost.

"_Wait, this doesn't make any sense" _he thought.

"_If Hikari is 14, and her mom is still in her twenties, then…"_

"How old were you when you had Hikari?"

Taiyouko's grip on his face tightened.

"I'm gonna hit you" she said.

She still had the smile on her face, but it held a more creepy tone to it.

Riku freaked out and stepped away from her.

"S-sorry" he said.

Taiyouko giggled.

"You're fun to mess with" she said.

"But I don't blame you. I do look young to be a mother of a 14 year old daughter and a 21 year old son"

She tossed her long hair over her shoulder.

"I stopped aging when I sealed part of my heart into the pendant" she explained as she pointed to Hikari's good luck charm.

"I was twenty when that happened, so that's why I still look young after all these years"

Riku looked at the charm that was hanging from his neck.

"_She deliberately made herself immortal just so she could protect her daughter?" _he thought.

"_What an awesome mom"_

Taiyouko pulled him out of his thoughts by tugging on his arm.

"This is no time to be day dreaming" she said.

"We have a castle to explore"

Riku nodded.

"Right"

He lead the way as they went up the stairs to the next floor.

/

When they made it to the next floor, a dark portal opened up.

Riku thought it was Ansem and quickly got in front of Taiyouko.

When the portal disappeared, Vexen stood in front of them.

He grinned evilly at him.

"I take it you're Riku" he said.

Taiyouko gasped when she saw their little guest.

"Even?" she asked in disbelief.

Vexen looked shocked when he saw her.

"T-Taiyouko? What are you doing here?"

He saw Hikari's charm hanging from Riku's neck.

"Oh, I see now"

"_Vexen will not be pleased when he hears about this" _he thought.

Taiyouko couldn't believe who she was seeing.

"_What is Even doing here?" _

Riku looked between the two in confusion.

Did they know each other?

He just shook it off for now. He would ask her later.

"Are you with Ansem?" he asked Vexen.

Vexen looked at Riku and remembered the reason why he came here.

"You are half correct" he said.

"Let us say that he is not the Ansem with which you are familiar. He is Ansem and he is not Ansem. Perhaps a 'Nobody' best conveys the idea"

Taiyouko gasped in fear.

"Don't tell me that you…you're not one of…."

Vexen smirked darkly at her.

"Oh, so you know what I'm talking about, huh?" he asked.

"You were always sharp"

Riku glared at him.

"Keep her out of this" he said.

"Besides, riddles were never my thing. Try again"

Vexen just looked at him dully.

"He belongs to neither the light nor the dark but walks the twilight between. Catching on now?"

Riku just glared at him when Vexen smirked at him.

Taiyouko gripped his shoulders tightly as if trying to calm him down.

Vexen just chuckled.

"Oh yes, you also stand in between the light and the darkness" he said.

"It appears we have much in common"

Taiyouko glared at him and stood in front of Riku protectively.

"Don't you dare compare yourself to him, Even!" she cried.

"This boy has done none of the horrible things that you've done in the past"

Vexen scoffed at her.

"You should talk" he said.

"You're not so innocent as you appear to be"

Taiyouko growled at and went to lunge at him.

Riku grabbed her arm and stopped her.

She looked over her shoulder to see him looking at the floor.

"Riku?"

Riku didn't say anything for a minute.

"Maybe…he's right" he said.

He looked up at Vexen.

"Like you said, there really is darkness left inside of me"

Taiyouko looked at him sadly.

"Riku"

Riku just looked up at Vexen and glared at him.

"But so what?"

He pulled out his Soul Eater.

"Darkness is my enemy! And so are you for reeking of that awful smell!"

Vexen laughed.

"Oh ho! So it's a fight you want. Very good-I shall take you on!

He pulled out his giant shield.

Taiyouko glared at him and summoned her staff.

Riku looked at her surprised.

"I'll back you up" she said.

Riku nodded and charged at Vexen.

He slammed his Soul Eater onto Vexen's shield, but did little damage to it.

Vexen just smirked and threw him away.

"You think that little sword is going to stop me?"

He summoned up chunks of ice and threw them at Riku.

He went to cover his face with his arms, but a wall of fire shot up in front of him and melted the ice away.

Riku looked at Taiyouko to see that she was the one who cast the spell.

"Don't worry about his ice attacks; I'll take care of them"

Riku nodded and attacked Vexen again.

While he physically attacked him, Taiyouko sent fire spells at him.

This routine went on for a few more minutes before Riku got the upper hand.

He went to land the finishing blow on him, but Vexen blocked him with his shield.

He simply laughed at him.

"I find, coursing through you, there is a darkness of formidable power growing!" he said.

"Well worth the trouble of aggravating you. All this excitement has provided me with invaluable data"

That took Riku off guard.

"What?"

This gave Vexen the chance to throw him back.

"Many thanks, Riku!"

He looked at Taiyouko.

"And it was so nice to see you again, Taiyouko"

Taiyouko glared at him.

"Get lost!"

She sent a beam of light at him, only he went through a portal before it could hit him.

Riku growled.

"It was a trick all along" he said.

Taiyouko looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry, Riku. I should have known what he was doing"

Riku just waved her off.

"You didn't know" he said.

"But how did you know that guy?"

Taiyouko sighed.

"Let's just say that he used to live on my world" she said.

"When it was taken over by the heartless, many hearts were lost. I thought he was one of them, but it appears that I was wrong"

She swayed slightly.

Riku caught her before she could fall down.

"Maybe you should go back into the pendant and rest up" he said.

"I'll call you if I need help"

Taiyouko smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you"

She returned to the pendant so she could rest up.

Riku lightly touched it before heading for the door.

That fight with Vexen really put him on the edge.

"_If there are people like him running around in this castle, I won't like who I see next"_

As he went through the doors, he prayed that the next person that he meet wouldn't be a challenge.

Oh was he in for a big surprise.

/

**A/N: So Taiyouko knew Vexen from way back, that can't be good. And why would Zexion be unhappy to see Taiyouko?**

**You'll just have to review to find out.**

**Ja ne**


	7. I'm not a Coward

Chapter 7: I'm not a Coward

**A/N: Hey everyone! Now is when things get really dicey for Riku and Taiyouko. Will they manage to pull through? Or will their fears take over them? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

In the lower part of the castle, Zexion and Lexaeus were waiting for Vexen.

They knew what the scientist was up to, and now they were just waiting for the end results.

They were also wondering how things were going on the upper floors.

Since Marluxia was in charge of that level, that meant he had his own little guests to worry about.

"What's happening to Sora and Hikari?" Lexaeus asked.

Zexion looked at him.

He had been keeping tabs on their other guests since they arrived at the castle.

Just because Marluxia was in charge of them, didn't mean that he couldn't either.

"Namine's powers are being used to shuffle their memoires as we speak" he said.

"Marluxia may well succeed in getting his puppets"

He pondered over this for a moment.

"They would be valuable assets to the Organization…" he admitted.

"But Marluxia and Larxene's actions, they-leave me quite uneasy"

Lexaeus nodded.

"And then there is Axel" he added.

"Who knows what that one is thinking…"

"Vexen should take care of this" Zexion said.

"His replica is soon to be completed"

Lexaeus frowned.

"But Vexen despises Marluxia" he pointed out.

"Think of the mess it would make"

Zexion shrugged.

"So we must tell him" he said.

"Isn't it better that Vexen clean up the mess than leave it to us?"

Lexaeus didn't say anything to that.

/

Riku was heading towards the stairs that lead to the next level.

He couldn't believe how far he had gotten so far without using the powers of darkness.

He felt a little proud.

"_You see, Ansem? I don't need your powers to accomplish my goals" _

As he was walking, Taiyouko came out of the pendant and stood before him.

He smiled when he saw her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Taiyouko smiled at him.

"Perfect" she said.

"I'm like a battery, I recharge quickly"

Riku chuckled at that.

"You haven't gotten into trouble while I was resting, have you?" Taiyouko asked him.

Riku shook his head.

"Nope. I was just about to head up to the next floor"

"Oh, I that case, I'll stay out. Strange things always happen on every floor of this castle"

Riku nodded.

"Ok. But just stay close" he said.

"If anything happened to you, I'm sure Hikari would kill me"

Taiyouko just laughed.

"You're such a sweet boy"

They walked up the steps, oblivious to what they were about to face.

/

When they made it to the next floor, they were greeted by a very strange guest.

Riku was completely surprised when he saw himself standing on the other side of the room.

"Huh? What are you suppose to be?"

The other him grinned evilly as he walked up to them.

"Surprised?" it asked.

"I guess you should be. After all, I look just like you"

Taiyouko looked between the two Riku's.

They looked so much alike, it was as if they were twins.

The only difference she could tell was that the Riku that stood before them reeked of darkness while the one that she was traveling with didn't.

The replica stood before them.

"I'll tell you what I am" he said.

"I'm an exact replica of you that Vexen made from your data"

Taiyouko growled.

"_So THAT'S what he was after" _she thought.

"_That snake in the grass"_

Riku looked at the replica skeptically.

"So you're a fake me" he elaborated.

The Replica glared at him.

"Not a 'fake'!" he snapped.

"I don't care if you're 'real'! You're not better! We share the same body and the same talents. But there is one easy way to tell us apart though!"

He grinned darkly at the real Riku.

"Unlike you, I fear nothing"

Riku glared at the replica.

"Are you calling me a coward?" he asked.

Taiyouko gripped his shoulder. He looked like he was about to pounce on the replica and she didn't want him to act out of anger.

The replica just kept sneering at him.

"You're afraid of the dark!" he said.

"The darkness inside you still frightens you, no matter what you say"

Riku growled at him.

The replica shrugged at him.

"But I'M different. I embrace the darkness. I can make it do whatever I want"

He transformed into dark mode and pulled out his version of the Soul Eater.

"So…I can wipe the floor with you!"

Riku glared at him as he pulled out his Soul Eater.

"We'll see about that" he said.

Taiyouko went to summon her staff, but he stopped her.

"He's mine" he said.

Taiyouko nodded and stood off to the side line.

Both Riku's square each other off.

Since this replica acted and fought the same way that he did, then he had to be extra careful.

"_But there is one way that I fight differently from him" _he thought.

"_Unlike him, I don't use the powers of darkness"_

The Replica was the first to attack.

"Here I come!"

Riku blocked him at the last minute with his Soul Eater and pushed him back.

He used this as the opportunity to attack his replica while he was still staggering.

Taiyouko bit her lip as she watched Riku fight.

She was really worried about this fight would end.

She knew from watching him fighting that he was capable of defending himself. But he could only go so far.

"_I know I'm going to have to heal him after this"_

Riku had to admit that his replica was a pretty good fighter.

He fought exactly like he did and used his weapon like he did.

The Replica just laughed at him as they fought.

"Is this the best that you can do?"

Riku growled in frustration.

He was not going to lose to a fake version of himself.

He pushed himself to the limit and attacked his replica.

He didn't care if his replica fought the same way as he did, he would just add more energy to his attacks.

He didn't care if he moved the way that he did, he would just an extra spring to his step.

The only thing that he did care was that he wanted to see this fake version of himself on the ground.

He gripped his Soul Eater with both hands and swung it at the replica.

The sword made impact with the replica's chest and knocked the wind out of him.

Taiyouko cheered when she was the replica fall to his knees.

Riku had a cocky grin spread across his face as he saw the replica on the ground.

"Hey, fake" he said.

"I thought I heard you say you were gonna wipe the floor with me?"

Taiyouko snickered at that.

The Replica just got up on one knee and looked at him.

"Hmph. Don't forget, I'm still new" he said.

"I'll get stronger and stronger"

He slowly stood up.

"The next time we fight, you're finished!"

Riku glared at him.

"Then let's fight now!"

He charged at the replica.

He went to attack him, but the replica released a bit of his dark powers and sent him flying.

"Riku!" Taiyouko cried.

She ran over to him and helped him sit up.

The replica just laughed at them.

"It's nice having darkness on my side" he said.

"You are SO missing out. How could you be scared of something that can be so thrilling?"

Taiyouko glared at him.

"It may seem nice, but the powers of darkness always backfire. Just you wait"

The replica just scoffed at her.

"Says the witch who can't even use her powers without draining herself completely"

Taiyouko growled at him.

Riku just glared at him.

"Enough" he said.

The replica just scoffed.

"Hmph. So now the coward is playing tough" he said.

He started walking away.

"So long, Real Thing. Hope you don't miss me"

He ran off, leaving them behind.

Riku shoot up to his feet.

"Come back!"

He went to run after him, but Taiyouko stopped him.

"Don't, it's not worth it" she said.

Riku just bit his lip and glared at the floor.

"No way. I'm not a coward…"

Taiyouko just pat his back.

"It's ok to be one" she said softly.

"It just shows that you know your limits. You're only human after all, you're bound to be afraid of some things. There's nothing wrong with that"

She brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Although, I bet it hurts being called a coward…especially if it's from someone you care about"

That's when it hit Riku.

Back at Hollow Bastion, he had called Hikari a coward for fearing the dark.

"_Are you still that terrified of the darkness? I thought through all of your journeys, you would at least overcome that. And to think that I thought you were strong. It would seem that I was wrong. You're nothing more than a big coward"_

As he remembered Hikari's pain filled face, he felt his heart dropped.

"_I actually said that to her" _he thought.

"_Oh my god, I actually called her a coward over fear of the dark. How could I say that to her? I knew she was always afraid of it, and I was fine with it. But I had the nerve to rub it in her face like that? If she called me a coward over a simple fear such as that, I would just die. To hear that from the one that you love most must be heart breaking"_

He bit the inside of his cheeks to prevent himself from saying something.

"_When I see Hikari, the first thing I'll do is apologize. She didn't deserve to be called that. She's a lot braver than me, that's for sure"_

He pulled from his thoughts when he felt Taiyouko hug him.

"It hurts doesn't it?"

She could tell that he was thinking about Hikari from the look on his face.

"But you shouldn't let it weigh you down. Use that as a motivation to move you forward"

Riku didn't say anything.

He simply placed his hand on her arm.

It had been such a long time since had been hugged by a parental figure.

Back on the islands, he would always act cool and claim that being hugged and kissed by his parents was something for babies.

But now that he was being hugged by Hikari's mother, he realized how much he missed this feeling.

Taiyouko stayed like this for a tiny bit.

She could see in the look in his eyes that he really needed someone to support him.

She couldn't help but feel sad for him.

"_Ever since he left his world, he's been all alone. He's had no one to support him or be there for him"_

Her motherly instincts kicked in and she hugged him tightly.

"_If I can give this boy the support and love that he needs, then I'll let him have it. He may be on this journey to destroy the darkness in his heart, but he's still a child"_

They stayed like that for a few more minutes.

/

Back in the basement of the castle, Zexion was waiting for the end results of Vexen's work.

The scientist had arrived a few minutes ago and now he was waiting to see how his hard work progressed.

Vexen decided to keep Taiyouko a secret from Zexion.

"_He thinks that just because he's in charge of the lower parts of the castle, that he has to act like my superior" _he thought.

"_I'll let him find out about Taiyouko himself. That'll show him not to think so poorly of me"_

The group heard a door opening.

The Riku replica came into the room, still in his dark mode outfit.

Vexen smiled coldly at his creation.

"So, how was the real thing?" he asked.

He also programmed the replica to forget about Taiyouko. He didn't want to risk the chance of his creation blabbering about his opponents.

The replica just smirked darkly.

"He's spineless" he said.

"In no time at all, I'll be better than him"

Vexen liked hearing this.

Now it was time for his real plans to unravel.

"In the meantime, would you be interested in meeting others who are considered heroes?"

"You mean Sora and Hikari?" the replica asked.

"I hear they're somewhere in the castle. You want me to take care of them?"

Vexen nodded.

"We'll see…yes…I intend to make good use of you"

The replica shrugged.

"No worries" he said.

"The real Riku was nothing. Sora and Hikari won't be either. They're no match for me"

/

Back where Riku and Taiyouko were, they were running up the stairs.

Since they spent a while with their little bonding moment, they wanted to make up for the time that they wasted.

Riku scanned the area for the fake version on himself.

He wanted payback for being called a coward.

"Come out!" he cried.

"Show yourself, Fake!"

"Fake? Oh, no…that's not exactly the right word"

Both him and Taiyouko panicked at this point.

That was Ansem's voice.

The seeker of darkness appeared to them seconds later.

Taiyouko pushed Riku behind her so Ansem couldn't get to him.

She glared hardly at him.

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"Isn't he just a copy of him?"

"More like a model" Ansem said.

"He is an example of what Riku should try to be"

Riku growled at him and stood next to Taiyouko.

He wasn't going to be protected when Ansem was after him.

Ansem smirked at his puppet.

"He accepts the darkness…" he said.

"Just like you once couldn't help but accept me. But now you're afraid. Perhaps YOU are the one who is being fake. Fake when you pretend to have no fear"

Riku wasn't falling for this.

Ansem was just trying mess up his mind.

"When have I been afraid of the dark?" he asked.

"Inside of the card worlds…you grappled desperately with the darkness" Ansem said.

"Desperation is fear. You fight the darkness because it is what frightens you"

Riku pulled out his Soul Eater.

"Be quiet!"

He charged at him, only to be replied by his dark powers.

"Riku!" Taiyouko cried.

Ansem held up another card.

"Stubborn boy" he said.

He threw it at him.

"Then continue your fight, if you must. Eventually, you will learn. You cannot resist the darkness"

He went through a portal of darkness and left them.

Taiyouko looked at Riku.

"Riku?" she asked.

He didn't say anything. He simply looked at the card.

He gripped it tightly within his hand and looked at the door in front of them.

"Don't worry, I'll show him" he said.

As he stepped towards the door, he thought up about how he was going to prove that he wasn't a coward.

/

**A/N: So the replica has finally showed up, and he's nastier than ever.**

**Poor Riku, he finally realized how his words hurt Hikari. Now he has to redeem himself for his actions because of it.**

**And it seems that Ansem isn't making it easier on him either.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	8. Story Time

Chapter 8: Story Time

**A/N: Hello! Now is where Riku and Taiyouko take a little intermission from their searching. Plus, I thought this would be a nice way for them to get to know each other better. **

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Up where Axel and Larxene were, Vexen had arrived to lay out his plan.

With his replica done, now all he had to do was interfere with Marluxia's plans by having the replica interact with Sora and Hikari.

Axel went up to him.

"How can we help you, Vexen?" he asked.

"It's not very often that we see you topside"

"I came to lend you a hand" Vexen said.

"You obviously believe that Sora and Hikari have much potential, but I remain unconvinced they are truly worth coddling. I think an experiment would show if they really are of any value to us"

Larxene rolled her eyes.

"Hmph. Well, here we go again" she said.

"It's just an excuse so you can carry out your little experiments. That's all"

"I'm a scientist" Vexen said.

"Experiments are what I do, yes"

Axel just shrugged.

"Whatever" he said.

"You can do what you want. But you know, I think testing Sora and Hikari is just a cover for testing your valet"

"Valet?" Vexen scoffed.

"He's the product of pure research"

"What he actually is, is a toy" Larxene remarked.

Vexen glared at her.

"Hmph. You should learn to be quiet"

Larxene just rolled her eyes.

"Anyway…" Axel said.

"Since you came all this way, you're gonna need this"

He held up a card and handed it to the scientist.

"A humble gift to my elder. I hope you use it to put on a very good show for us"

Vexen just grinned at the card.

When he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned around.

The Riku replica had a cocky smirk on his face.

"That card holds the memories of Sora, Riku and Hikari's home" Axel said.

"It's just a card" the replica said.

"What good is that?"

Larxene smirked evilly.

"With a little help from Namine, you'll have the real Riku's memories" she said.

"Maybe we can get her to make you forget you're nothing but a fake. In other words, we'll remake your heart so you can be-exactly the same as the real Riku, 'kay?"

The replica panicked.

"You want to remake my heart?" he asked.

"The real Riku's a wimp who's afraid of the dark! What do I want with the heart of a loser?"

Larxene just looked at Vexen.

"Any objection, Vexen?" she asked.

"After all, you do want to test Sora and Hikari, don't you?"

Vexen smirked evilly.

"It must be done" he said.

The replica glared at his creator.

"How can you?" he cried.

"Are you betraying me?"

"I told you I would make good use of you, didn't I? " Vexen replied.

The replica shook his head in disbelief.

"No-"

"Relax, kiddo" Larxene said.

"I don't think it's going to hurt that much"

The replica pulled out his Soul Eater.

"I'll hurt YOU!"

He charged at her, only to be thrown back by her lightning.

She just laughed as she watched him struggle to stand up.

"Stupid little toy!" she said.

"Think you could defeat me? Where would you ever get a thought like that?"

The replica looked a little afraid at this point.

Larxene slowly walked over to him.

"But-look on the bright side" she said.

"Along with everything else in your head, Namine will erase the memory of me knocking you flat"

Namine looked horrified at what just happened.

"Instead, she will implant the loveliest little memories you could ever hope for! It's no big deal that they're all lies"

Larxene grinned as she thought of something.

"And now that I think about it, this could help with our little problem with Hikari. Since she still doesn't 'remember' Namine, perhaps seeing her little sweetheart will boost the process up. When she sees that her precious Riku is thinking about no one but Namine, why…it'll just break her heart! Or smash it"

She closed in on her prey.

The Replica tried to back away from her, but he bumped into the wall.

He held his arms up defensively.

"No!" he cried.

"NOOOOO!"

/

"Riku! Slow down!"

After their little encounter with Ansem, Riku was determined to prove that he wasn't afraid of the darkness, or that he was desperate.

He ran up the stairs and headed for the next door.

Taiyouko came after him a few seconds later.

Since she was in a long dress, she couldn't move that fast.

Plus, she wasn't a really good runner.

She panted slightly when she caught up to him.

He was about to use the next card that he had in his deck, but she grabbed his wrist.

"Will you please calm down?" she asked.

"You're like a little kid on a sugar buzz. Relax, will you?"

Riku yanked his arm away from her.

"I don't have time to relax" he said.

"I have to prove to Ansem that I'm not a coward. I have to beat him"

"I understand that, but there's a little thing about being reckless. You just had a fight with a replica of yourself. You need to take a break and regain your strength, or else you're just going to keel over"

Riku shook his head.

"I don't have time to rest. I need to keep going before the darkness in my heart gets worse, and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind"

The air within the room suddenly turned very cold within seconds.

Taiyouko wore a grim expression on her face as she looked at Riku.

He started to get creped out by the look.

Normally, she was always cheerful and happy.

But right now, she was just plain scary with that icy look of hers.

She bent down to his level so she could see him eye-to-eye.

"Riku" she said seriously.

She grabbed his face in a vice like grip and made him look at her.

"Now you listen to me, young man" she said.

"While I admire your stubbornness to beat Ansem, there is a little thing called being reckless. As I said before, you just fought, so you need to rest up. I don't care how determined you are at beating Ansem, you need to take a break, otherwise you're going to keel over before you accomplish it"

Riku gulped slightly.

She may not have looked like it, but she was really strong.

He had a feeling she was going to leave bruises from where she was holding his face.

"And another thing, don't talk back to me. If I say that it's time to rest, then it means it's time to rest. I don't care if you disagree with me. I'm the parental figure in the group, and I get the final say, got it?"

"Perfectly" Riku said.

Taiyouko grinned and let go of his face.

Riku rubbed his face from where it felt sore.

"I know I'm a little harsh, but you know what they say: 'mom knows best'. Since you're holding onto HIkari's good luck charm, that means I'm responsible for you. Now park your kester down and take a break"

Riku looked at her.

"But-"

"No buts! Sit!"

Riku sighed and sat next to one of the pillars that lined up the room.

"I'll take a 5 minute break, but that's it" he said.

"I don't want to risk the chance of losing Ansem"

Taiyouko scoffed at that as she magically summoned a chair.

"Please, I've know Ansem a lot longer than you have" she said as she sat down.

"And if there's one thing that I know about him, he likes to wait out on his prey. The longer it takes for them to get to him the better. By the time they reach him, they're so weak from fighting that they instantly become his puppets. The weaker they are, the fewer struggles they'll put up"

Riku mulled this over.

The last time that he became Ansem's puppet, he had just finished fighting with Sora and Hikari.

He was so weak and wanted more power, that he blindly became the slave to the Seeker of Darkness.

"That's an even bigger reason why I want to defeat him" he said.

"If I let him keep running around and controlling my heart, who knows what he might do to others"

Taiyouko looked at him sympathetically.

He didn't care about what happened to him, he was just worried for everyone else.

He looked at the ground sadly.

"And…I need to get rid of the darkness that still lingers in my heart" he said quietly.

"If I don't…then I may never see Hikari again"

Taiyouko placed her hand on his knee.

"What gives you that idea?" she asked.

Riku looked at her.

"Come on, think about it" he said.

"She's a princess of light, and a keyblade master. She supports the realm of light, while I once supported the realm of darkness. Light and darkness don't work with each other. As long as there's darkness in my heart, I will never be able to be with Hikari"

"Riku…"

What he said was slightly true.

Light and darkness never collaborated with each other.

While they co-existed with each other, they simple never crossed paths.

They were like Ying and Yang.

There was no darkness within the light, and there was no light within the darkness.

As she thought of that, she suddenly remembered the story she used to tell Hikari when she was little.

She smiled gently at him.

"Have you ever heard of the story about light and darkness?"

Riku shook his head.

"No?, well I used to tell it to Hikari when she was very little. It was her favorite. Would you like to hear it?"

Riku nodded.

He thought it would be nice to hear one of Hikari's favorite stories.

Plus, he knew that even if he said no, she would have told him anyway.

Taiyouko grinned.

"Oh, good" she said.

"Well, this is how it goes: Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted the light for themselves, and darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of the light survived…in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return"

She smiled at him and gripped his hand.

"So listen, Riku" she said.

"Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its powers and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Riku?"

Riku didn't say anything as he let her words sink in.

He thought it was a nice story, but he really didn't understand what she was trying to say.

"Sort of" he said.

"But how can there be light within the darkness? I thought they opposed each other?"

"Well, that is true" Taiyouko said.

"But when you think about it, you can't have one without the other. When there's light, a shadow is always created, and within that shadow, darkness resides. They may oppose each other, but they can't live without each other"

Riku bit his lip.

"So are you saying that I can't get rid of the darkness within my heart?"

"Not necessarily" Taiyouko said.

"You can get rid of most of it, but you can't get rid of all of it. Like I said, both entities cannot live without each other"

Riku sighed.

"Then I'll never be able to see Hikari again"

"Oh, don't be like that. You'll see her"

"Not when I have darkness still lingering within my heart. I thought a princess of light couldn't be near anyone with darkness residing in their hearts"

Taiyouko leaned in a little closer.

"Let me tell you a little secret" she said.

"There is darkness in every heart, including a princess of light. They may not have as much as a regular person, but it's still there"

She gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"And even if you're drenched in darkness, you can still reach her. It's like the story says, even in the deepest darkness, a light shines within. As long as you believe in that light, then you shouldn't have a problem"

"And what if I can't believe in the light?" Riku asked.

"What if I don't know what it is I'm supposed to believe. I want to believe in the light, but I just don't know what it could be"

"Oh, that's easy" Taiyouko said.

"The light could be anything, whether it be a person or an object. Take Hikari for example. Her light was her good luck charm. The darkness never touched her as long as she thought about it"

Riku picked up the heart shaped pendant dangling from his neck.

"But I have that" he said.

"If I have her light, then how is she going to believe in the light?"

Taiyouko grinned.

"She just has to believe in something else"

She pointed to him.

"You"

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

Taiyouko nodded.

"Why do you think Hikari went on this journey to other worlds? It was because she wanted to find you. She cares about you so much, that she traveled to the end of the world just so she could see you again. You became her other light within the darkness"

Riku blushed slightly.

So he was her other light?

She could have believed in anyone else, but she picked him. Even after he drenched himself within the darkness and became Ansem's puppet, she still picked him.

"So, now that you heard that, have you figured out what your light may be?"

Riku pondered this over a moment.

He had a certain idea of what it could be, but he wasn't sure just yet.

"Not really" he said.

"But I'm sure to find out soon"

Taiyouko smiled.

"Take all the time you need. There's no rush"

Riku nodded and leaned back against the pillar.

As he looked at Taiyouko, he had to admit that he was glad that she was here.

Sure, he found it to be very awkward that he was traveling of all people, Hikari's mother.

But she did put him at ease.

She held this motherly aura that made him feel safe and supported.

And she held a lot of wisdom.

She seemed to know everything about the light and darkness.

"_She's someone you want on your side" _he thought.

Taiyouko stood up and made her chair vanish.

"I think you've rested enough" she said.

She held her hand out towards him.

"Shall we get a move on?"

Riku nodded and allowed her to lift him up.

"Let's go"

They went towards the door that would lead them to the next room.

/

Back upstairs, Namine sadly sat in her chair.

She had just rewritten the Riku replica's memories and she felt horrible about it.

"Why so glum, Namine?"

The young witch looked up to see Larxene towering over her.

The savage nymph smirked evilly at her.

"Is there something that's been troubling you?" she asked.

"Are you feeling awful about tinkering with Sora and Hikari's memoires? Or maybe you-"

"Cut it out Larxene"

She turned around to see the replica entering the room.

He walked over to where they were.

"Namine-she doesn't want to remember Sora or Hikari" he said.

Larxene raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

The replica just ignored her, he was focused on Namine.

"Don't worry" he said to her.

"Whatever's hurting you, I'll make it go away"

He pulled a star shaped good luck charm and showed it to her.

"I swear it on this-the good luck charm you gave me"

Namine looked at it sadly, knowing that she created it.

The replica put it away.

"See ya" he said.

He left the room, leaving the two girls alone.

Larxene looked at Namine.

"That's just amazing" she said.

"It's almost like you completely made his heart from scratch. Nice touch with the good luck charm"

She placed her hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't know you could use memories to transform objects like cards into keepsakes. You used the same trick on Sora, right?"

Namine sadly looked away.

Larxene smirked.

"You changed Kairi's good luck charm with your magic, right?"

She laughed a little.

"It won't be long before Sora forgets about Kairi completely! And then he'll be all yours to-"

"He won't forget" Namine said.

"Huh?"

Namine gripped her sketchbook tightly.

"No matter how much I change his memory, Sora will never forget Kairi. Memories of me-more false memories of me will just make his feelings for Kairi even stronger than before. Because…I'm the shadow of Kairi. Hikari is the same. She's a sorceress of memories, so it's impossible to change her memories and make her forget about her mother"

Larxene scowled at that.

She knew Hikari was going to be a handful, but why was Namine upset about Sora?

"What's your problem with that?" she asked.

"That should be your incentive not to screw anything up. Just do a good job at rewriting Sora's heart. Then you can actually be somebody-and no longer Kairi's shadow. You'll be real in Sora's heart"

Namine just gave her a weak glare.

/

Down in the lower parts of the castle, Zexion was beside himself.

He was wondering how Vexen's plans with the Riku replica were going.

Just then, he caught a familiar scent.

It was as if it were fading away.

A dark portal opened up and Lexaeus appeared.

"Vexen is no more" he said.

Zexion nodded grimly.

"Yes, his scent is gone" he said.

"Axel struck him down…something I find deplorable-agents of the Organization striking each other down"

"Our problem is Sora and Hikari" Lexaeus said.

"Vexen proved to be no match for them, yet they're still under Namine's control"

Zexion nodded.

"But we cannot eliminate them, can we?"

Lexaeus nodded.

"Correct. For our Superior- he is dire need for the heroes of light"

He looked away.

"When light losses sight of its path- we may find use for the dark. What we must do-is obtain the darkness"

Zexion realized what he was trying to say.

"Riku…of course"

It seemed like Riku was about to make a few more enemies soon.

/

Back with Riku and Taiyouko, they went up to the next floor of the castle.

"Jeez, how many floors does this castle have?" Taiyouko asked.

Riku was wondering that as well.

As they made it to the next door, Riku pulled out a card from his pocket.

"Just one card left" he said.

"Finally" Taiyouko sighed.

"These memory based worlds are starting to get to me. That last one nearly did it for me"

They had gone through a memory version of Atlantica and she had gotten soaked.

She was currently wringing out the water in her hair.

Riku chuckled a little before looking at the door in front of them.

"If I get through this, will I be free of the darkness?"

Taiyouko shrugged.

"Who knows" she said.

"But even if you don't, you have me to help you"

Riku grinned in gratitude.

"Thanks"

They both looked at the door.

"Well, let's get this over with" Taiyouko said.

"And we better be going through a dry world next"

They opened the doors and went through another memory based world.

/

**A/N: Taiyouko just showed Riku that you should never talk back to an adult, especially if it's his sweetheart's mother. **

**I'm sure everyone can guess what Riku's light is.**

**And I bet you all know who they're going to face in the next chapter.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	9. Dark Impulse

Chapter 9: Dark Impulse

**A/N: We've reach to yet another Organization battle. Will Riku be able to win this one, or the darkness consume his heart?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

When Riku opened the doors to the next floor, he was greeted to a very unpleasant surprise.

Standing within the middle of the room was none other than Lexaeus.

The silent hero gripped his giant axe sword within his hand as he looked at them.

Taiyouko paled when she saw him.

"Aeleus" she muttered.

Lexaeus remained emotionless as he looked at her.

"Taiyouko…it's a fancy seeing you here"

Taiyouko didn't say anything.

First Even, now Aeleus?

Which familiar face was she going to run into next?

Riku pulled out his Soul Eater and stood in front of her.

If this guy knew about her, then chances are she would be targeted first.

"That scent…" he said.

"You're another one of those 'nobodies'"

"You've done well thus far" Lexaeus said.

"But to possess your powers, and yet fear the darkness…what a waste"

Riku glared at him.

"I do not…fear it!" he cried.

"I sense that you do" Lexaeus said.

"You're also capable of controlling the darkness. Cast away your useless fear. Open your heart. Embrace the darkness"

"And if I say no?" Riku asked.

Lexaeus sighed.

"Then you lose both light and darkness-and disappear!"

He released a mass of energy from his being.

It was so strong that Taiyouko and to hold Riku to her chest to prevent him from falling over.

Lexaeus lifted his axe sword up.

"I, Lexaeus, will not yield to the frail heart- of an infantile coward! Now, stop resisting-and let the darkness it!"

Energy gathered in Taiyouko's hand.

"Don't act so rationally, Aeleus" she warned.

"It will be the end of you"

She sent beams of light at him in every direction.

Lexaeus just swatted them away with his axe sword as if they were flies.

"Is that all you can do, sorceress Taiyouko?"

Riku came at him with his Soul Eater.

"How about this?"

He slammed his sword on Lexaeus' axe and sent a flying kick into his side.

Lexaeus grunted, but it showed that it didn't affect him greatly.

"His body is like stone!" Taiyouko cried.

"Physical attacks will do nothing to him"

Riku flipped out of the way and landed next to her.

"Well, how are we supposed to get him then?"

"Like this"

Taiyouko summoned her staff and held it in front of her.

"Maiden's bow"

Her staff glowed brightly and turned into a bow and arrow set.

Taiyouko held the bow up and aimed her arrow of light at Lexaeus' chest.

"When I say go, you attack him without mercy" she said.

Riku nodded and prepared himself.

Lexaeus just watched them emotionlessly.

"What do you think a measly arrow will do to me?"

Taiyouko smirked evilly.

"Oh, this isn't a regular arrow" she said.

She let the arrow go and watched as it pierced through Lexaeus' chest and impaled into the wall behind him.

"It's an arrow made from the realm of light. Being such as you could never stand to something so pure"

Lexaeus fell on one knee as he gripped his chest.

"You witch" he rasped.

Riku lunged at him.

"You're finished!"

Lexaeus glared at him.

"Don't mock me!"

He quickly got up and swung his axe sword, hitting him in the chest.

Riku slammed into the ceiling before falling lifelessly to the floor.

"Riku!" Taiyouko cried.

"You were too much trouble" Lexaeus said.

He slowly went over to his body.

Taiyouko quickly got in front of him and pointed her bow at the silent giant.

"Stay back" she warned.

Lexaeus stopped and looked puzzled for a moment.

Taiyouko thought it was because of her, but when she heard something behind her, she looked to see what it was.

Darkness covered Riku's body as he lay there.

Taiyouko gasped when she saw him transform into dark mode.

"Riku?"

He slowly got up like a zombie and grabbed his soul eater.

Then he was gone in a flash.

Taiyouko wondered where he went, but when she heard something being stabbed, she turned around to see Lexaeus being impaled by Riku's soul eater.

Riku stood behind Lexaeus with his Soul eater in hand.

"Too slow" he said.

Taiyouko gasped when she heard Ansem's voice mingling with his.

"_He's trying to take control over him while he's knocked out!" _she thought.

Lexaeus staggered when he felt himself fading away.

"You are the Superior's-"

He began breaking up in dark particles.

"Forgive me, Zexion. This was a fight I should not have started"

Taiyouko shuddered when she saw Lexaeus disappear completely.

"Aeleus" she mumbled.

"May you rest in peace"

She slowly looked at Riku to see that he was still in his dark mode.

She could feel the darkness radiating off of him in massive waves.

She didn't know if it was Ansem she was looking at, or if it was Riku.

She slowly went up to him, but kept her bow out in case.

"Riku?" she asked.

Riku didn't say anything.

He was completely zombie like now.

/

Deep within his sub concise, Riku was floating within the realm of darkness.

He couldn't feel anything, and he didn't know anything.

He could hear someone speaking into his head.

"_I can see you now…clearly"_

He stirred slightly.

He opened his eyes and looked around for where the voice was coming from.

The first thing that came to his mind was his battle with Lexaeus.

"Lexaeus?" he called out.

"_Riku…I can see your heart…_"

Riku began to panic.

He knew who that voice belonged to.

"No…it's not. Darkness this foul could only…only be-"

"_That's it, remember me…let me drift into your heart…."_

Riku looked up at the sky.

"Ansem!"

He could hear Ansem chuckling at him.

"_You called out my name" _he said.

"_You have been thinking about me…you're afraid of the darkness I command"_

Riku started to freak out a little.

"_Good. The more you think of me, the closer my return draws. And when I have awoken, I will take hold"_

He suddenly appeared before him.

"You're heart will be mine!"

He smirked evilly at Riku.

He slowly reached his hand out towards him.

Riku panicked and tried to back away from him.

Just then, King Mickey appeared as a sphere of light.

"Riku, fight!" he cried.

"Don't let him win!"

He turned into the transparent version of himself and stood in front of Riku protectively.

"You're majesty!" Riku cried.

Ansem glared at the King.

"You meddlesome king!"

/

Back with Taiyouko, she had Riku resting on her lap.

He reverted to his normal self, but he was still out cold.

She brushed the hair out of his face as she sadly look at him.

"_This boy has been through so much" _she thought.

She heard him groaning slightly as he stirred.

He slowly opened his eyes to see that he was back in the castle.

Taiyouko looked relieved when she saw him sitting up.

"Riku, you're awake" she said.

"Are you ok?"

Riku looked at her as he held his head.

"The king…he protected me…" he said.

He suddenly looked around the room.

"Your Majesty, where are you? Please answer!"

When he got no response, he hung his head sadly.

Taiyouko gently placed her hand over his chest, indicating that King Mickey was with them.

Riku placed his hand over his chest.

"You're with me, aren't you…"

Taiyouko's motherly instincts kicked in and she started to fuss over him.

Riku may have defeated Lexaeus, but now he had to face Taiyouko's wrath.

/

In the castle's basement, Zexion had detected Lexaeus' fading scent.

"Lexaeus is gone as well…" he said to himself.

A dark portal appeared before him and had Axel come out of it.

The red head wore a know it all smirk.

"Vexen, Larxene, Lexaeus…I wonder who will be in line next?" he asked.

Zexion wore a cocky smirk.

"I thought perhaps it might be you" he said.

"Me?" Axel asked.

"No way. I already took my pounding from Sora and Hikari. They think I'm done for"

He smirked slightly.

"Nope, I think it'll be Marluxia next. For defying the Organization and targeting Sora and Hikari. I hope they move as their hearts commands them to"

He placed his hands on his hips.

"So, what about you?" he asked.

"I thought you guys had plans for Riku"

Zexion nodded.

"Yes, we were going to set him off against the traitors…" he admitted.

"But with Marluxia gone, there is no more need. He is nothing but a nuisance now"

"And he's dangerous as well" Axel added.

"After all, he took down Lexaeus"

Zexion frowned.

"You know that is not how I do things" he said.

He suddenly came up with an idea.

"Tell me, did you obtain the data on Riku's home?"

/

A few floors up, Taiyouko was carrying Riku on her back.

"I'm telling you, Taiyouko, I'm fine"

Taiyouko just snorted.

"Yeah right, you were just slammed into the ceiling. I'm not letting you go, even if this castle falls down"

Just then, the whole area started to rumble.

"Never mind, ride's over"

Riku jumped off her back and looked around.

He realized someone's scent had disappeared.

"What? One of the scents has died-a really strong one"

"I wonder who it could have been?" Taiyouko asked.

A portal opened up in front of them.

Zexion stood before them.

"The keeper of this castle, Marluxia, has just been felled by the keyblade masters" he said.

Taiyouko gasped when she saw his face.

Her skin went deadly pale while her hands shook.

Of all the faces that she had to see in this castle, why did it have to be his?

"I-Ienzo?"

Zexion looked at her emotionlessly.

Even though it was hard to notice, she could have sworn that she saw his eyes widen slightly.

Zexion gulped slightly

"Onee-chan?"

/

**A/N: Cliffhanger! So now you all know how Zexion is connected to Taiyouko: he's her baby brother!**

**Will this be a nice family reunion, or will be heart breaking?**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	10. Destiny Islands

Chapter 10: Destiny Islands

**A/N: We're coming towards the end of this story, only two chapters left to go! **

**Now we get to face the bitter family reunion between Taiyouko and Zexion. I wonder how it's going to be?**

**I knew some of you would be shocked by this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I simply own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

"_Onee-chan! Onee-chan!"_

_Taiyouko looked up from her reading to see Ienzo coming towards her with a book in hand._

_At being only 6 years old, he was pretty tall for someone his size._

_He wore white lab coat that was slightly big on him with the sleeves rolled up and wore blue pants with navy blue shoes._

_Taiyouko smiled gently when she saw her baby brother._

_Besides Hikari and Leon, he was the apple of her eye._

_She placed her book on the table and scooped her brother up when he came closer._

_Ienzo wore a small smile on his face._

_Normally, he never smiled for anyone, nor talked for that matter._

_But when he was with his sister, he was an entirely different person._

_He held up the book that he was holding and showed it to his sister._

"_Onee-chan, will you read my this story?" asked._

_The library was his favorite place to be._

_It had so many books to read from and his sister was always here._

_This was one of the things they shared in common._

_Taiyouko looked at the book for a moment before looking at him._

"_But Ienzo, I've already told you this story before" she said._

"_Wouldn't you rather hear a story that you've never heard from?"_

_Ienzo shook his head._

"_I like this story" he said._

"_Plus, you have such a nice voice when you read it. I want to listen to it over and over again"_

_Taiyouko giggled as she hugged her brother._

"_You can be such a suck up" she said._

"_But it's good enough to get you a story"_

_Ienzo cheered at hearing this._

_Taiyouko took the book from him and opened it._

_She was about to read it when she heard rapid footsteps._

"_Mommy!"_

"_Mom!"_

_Leon and Hikari ran into the room and latched themselves to her legs._

"_Why, if it isn't my favorite son and daughter" Taiyouko said._

"_What are you two doing here?"_

_They both let go of their mother and looked at her._

"_We want to hear a story too!" Hikari said._

_Leon nodded._

_Taiyouko smiled._

"_Well, you're in luck, because I was just about to tell Ienzo a story"_

_Ienzo slid from Taiyouko's lap and stood in front of Leon and Hikari._

_It was strange that the 6 year old was already an uncle to 15 and 5 year old._

_Hikari smiled when she saw her uncle and latched herself to him._

_Taiyouko laughed at the scene._

"_Aww, it's so cute that you two are practically the same age, even though you're niece and uncle"_

_Leon didn't say anything as he watched his sister cuddle with his uncle._

_Taiyouko held out the book._

"_Who's ready to hear a story?"_

"_Me!" they all cried._

_They sat in front of her as she began to read._

_As Taiyouko read, she hoped that moments like these would continue on in the future._

/

Taiyouko fell to her knees as she looked at her brother.

He was no longer the 6 year old who would ask her to read a story to him.

He looked to be about the same age as Hikari, and had much darker hair than what he had as a child.

Tears fell from her face as she covered her mouth with her hands.

It had been so long since she last saw him.

When their world was taken over by the heartless, she thought he was one of those souls who lost their hearts.

But when she felt his aura, she knew he suffered a worse fate than becoming a heartless.

"_He's just like Even and Aeleus" _she thought.

"_He's just like them…Oh, Ienzo, my poor baby brother"_

Zexion was speechless as he looked at his older sister.

It had been nearly ten years since he last saw her and she hadn't aged a day since then.

He wonder why that was, but when he caught a whiff of her scent, he realized the reason why.

"_You're no longer alive" _he thought.

He suddenly realized something as well.

If Taiyouko was here, then that meant.

"_If Onee-chan is here, then that means that the Hikari that's in this castle is my-"_

He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

His niece nearly became Marluxia's pawn and he didn't even realize it.

He bit his lip as he thought of that.

For figuring things out and knowing what goes on in this castle, he surely didn't realize that his family was in danger.

He simply watched as his sister cried, knowing that he was to blame for her current sadness.

/

Riku had no idea what was going on.

This Organization guy came out of nowhere, claiming that the castle's keeper was destroyed and now he found out that Taiyouko had a brother.

He sadly looked at his companion as she cried on the floor.

It seemed that this brother of hers was really important to her and that it was tearing her up to see him like this.

Judging from his scent, he was another one of these 'nobody' beings.

He had no idea what they were, but judging Taiyouko's reaction, they were not good.

He suddenly realized that Zexion mentioned the keybalde masters.

Then that meant…

"Keyblade…" he said.

His eyes went wide.

"You mean Sora and Hikari? They're here?"

Hearing about her daughter's name made Taiyouko stop crying.

Hikari was here.

Riku couldn't believe it.

He never thought that Hikari would be here of all places.

He felt his heart swell up with joy.

He would finally get to see the one he loved most.

He would get to see his sweetheart.

Zexion smirked at his reaction.

He had a feeling he would react this way.

"Yes they are. Want to see them?" he asked.

"But…can you face them?"

Riku frowned.

"What's that mean?" he asked.

Taiyouko slowly stood and faced her brother.

What was he onto?

Zexion just smirked evilly.

"The world of darkness, and Ansem's shadow, still nest within your heart" explained.

"Do you plan to face Sora and Hikari like that? Are you not ashamed?"

Taiyouko glared at Zexion.

"Stop that Ienzo" she said.

"If Riku wants to see them, then he'll see them. You're not in charge of him"

Zexion looked at her emotionlessly.

"But Onee-chan, you of all people should know that he can't see them" he said.

"Sora and Hikari's fate is to battle the darkness. They must oppose anyone who hosts the dark-in other words, it's Riku"

Riku couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Was he supposed to oppose his closest friends because of what was nestled within his heart?

That couldn't be true.

Sure, they clashed in the past, but that was only because they wanted him to come back and to stop being Maleficent's pawn.

They didn't fight him because he was their enemy.

Hikari didn't fight him because of that.

Zexion just looked at him.

"If you don't believe the words I say…"

He held up a card and threw it at him.

"Then you had best see the truth with your own eyes"

Riku looked at the card and gasped.

"This card! This is our-"

Zexion nodded.

"Yes, it is your home"

He looked at Taiyouko and bowed his head slightly.

"It was nice to see you again, Onee-chan"

He disappeared within a portal and left them alone.

RIku looked at Taiyouko.

Her skin seemed pale as she looked at the spot where her brother once stood.

"Um…are you going to be alright?" he asked.

Taiyouko snapped back to reality and looked at Riku.

She gave him a weak smile.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

Riku rubbed his head slightly.

"Well, since that was your brother, I thought that you might be-"

Taiyouko just waved him off.

"Please, I'm over that" she said.

"Besides, he may look like my brother, but he's just an imposter"

She looked at the card in his hand.

"We should see what he was talking about"

Riku held up the card and nodded.

"Right" he said.

He looked at the door for a second before looking back at her.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

Taiyouko nodded.

"Yes. Now don't worry about me. Let's go see Sora and Hikari"

Riku smiled at that.

Taiyouko smiled.

Even though she said she would be fine, deep within her heart, she was crying her eyes out.

Riku held the card up to the door and entered the memory version of his home.

/

The scent of the sea hit Riku's nostrils as he appeared on the islands.

He closed his eyes when he felt the wind in his hair.

"I never thought I'd miss this island winds so much" he said.

He looked at the ground sadly.

"Hmph. There was a time I couldn't wait to get off this rock. And now I'm acting all relived"

Taiyouko looked at the islands in amazement.

Even though she had seen them before through Hikari's pendant, this was the first time that she actually stepped foot on the islands.

"This place is amazing" she breathed.

"I can't believe Hikari wound up here"

Riku smiled sadly at the mention of her.

Memories of when she first came to the islands flashed through his head.

"_She had no idea who she was or where she came from" _he thought.

"_Yet she somehow managed to steal my heart"_

Taiyouko spun around as the wind blew through her hair.

She was smiling brightly as the sun shined its rays on her.

If Riku didn't know that she was upset moments before, he would have thought that she was having the time of her life.

"_She must have been through a lot of hardships in the past and learned to live through them" _he thought.

Taiyouko stopped her spinning and looked at Riku.

"Oh, Riku. You have to show me your world!" she said.

"This place is so amazing, I don't where to start"

Riku chuckled slightly.

"Come on, I'll give you the grand tour"

She squealed like a little girl.

Riku laughed as he saw her jumping up and down.

She looked and acted like Hikari just then.

"_Now I know where she gets her hyperness"_

He gave her a mock bow.

"Allow me to escort you around the Islands"

Taiyouko giggled.

"My, aren't you a gentleman" she said.

She followed Riku across the beach as he gave her the grand tour.

/

As Riku was showing Taiyouko around, memories of this place flashed though his mind.

He remembered all of the times that he used to come here with Sora and the others.

They were always together as a group.

He remembered the times from when they were building the raft for their trip.

Those were the good times.

/

_Flashback_

"_Come on, Sora! Put your back into it!"_

_Since their trip was only a week away, the group decided to gather supplies that they would need._

_One of those things was food._

_Sora was currently trying to push Hikari up a coconut tree. _

_Since coconuts would last for more than a few weeks, that was one of the foods that they needed._

_Sora grunted when Hikari stepped on his face._

"_Why can't you climb up the tree yourself?"_

_Hikari glared at him._

"_Well excuse me for not having monkey reflexes like you and Riku" she said._

_She finally managed to get up the tree and grabbed a few coconuts for everyone._

"_That should do it" _

_She started to slowly climb back down the truck of the tree/_

"_Ok, Sora. Catch me so I don't fall"_

"_Yeah, yeah" he said._

_Just as he was about to catch her, Kairi and Riku walked by._

"_Hi Sora" Kairi said._

_Sora's face lit up when he saw her._

"_Hey, Kairi!" _

_He ran over to her to talk to her and completely forgot about Hikari._

_As she was coming down, she expected Sora to catch her, but instead, she fell flat on her butt._

_Sora whipped his head around when he heard her fall._

"_Oops" he said._

_Hikari sat up and dusted the sand out of her hair._

_She looked at Sora and glared at him._

"_Sora"_

_She got up and stomped over towards him._

_Sora gulped at the look she was giving her and flinched when she grabbed his face._

"_Sora" she said slowly._

"_If I were you, I would never do that again. Do you hear me?"_

_He nodded._

"_Good" _

_She let go of his face._

"_Now, since you dropped me, you get to carry all of the coconuts back to the raft"_

_Sora made a face when he saw how many coconuts there were._

_There had to be at least a dozen of them._

"_But-"_

_Riku patted him hard on the back._

"_Maybe if you didn't forget to catch her, you wouldn't be in this situation" he said._

_Sora just grumbled and went about gathering their supplies._

_End Flashback_

_/_

Riku sighed.

Yep, those were the good old days.

When he heard Taiyouko cheering, he saw her near the water and kicking the waves when they came by.

Since she didn't want to get her shoes and dress wet, she held her shoes in one hand, and grabbed the hem of her dress with the other.

She looked so happy as she danced in the water.

Riku had to admit that he admired her.

Even though she found out that her brother was one of their enemies, she was still able to smile.

"_She must have a will of steel" _he thought.

When she was done playing in the water, she walked over to him.

"That was the most fun I had in years!" she said.

She slipped her shoes back on and let go of her dress.

"I really needed that" she said.

Riku's smile faltered a little.

"Are you ok?"

Taiyouko gave him a weak smile.

"I guess I would be lying if I said that I was" she admitted.

"I'll admit, I'm heartbroken to see my little brother under these circumstances, but there's nothing I can do about it. As much as I want to change the past, it's not possible. I may be sad, but I've been through a lot of worse things than this. I've learned that the best way to get through harsh times is to always smile and hope that things get better. I'll be able to pull through as long as I keep smiling"

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't be worrying about my problems. You have your own that you need to worry about"

Riku didn't say anything.

He didn't know what to say.

Even though he didn't really think that her beliefs were good, he had to agree with them.

Being sad and gloomy wouldn't solve anything. The best way to approach bad situations is to always think positive.

That's how Hikari always dealt with them.

"_I've come too far to quit now!"_

He gave her a small smile.

"You're right" he said.

Taiyouko smiled.

"Good"

She looked over towards the docks and saw a couple a kids near there.

"Are those friends of yours?"

Riku looked at the docks and noticed it was Tidus, Selphine and Wakka.

His face lit up when he saw them.

He didn't realize how much he missed them until then.

He grabbed Taiyouko's hand.

"Come on!"

He dragged her over to the docks where the group was.

"This is Tidus, Selphine and Wakka" he said.

Taiyouko waved at them.

Riku looked at the group.

"Guys, this is Taiyouko. She's Hikari's mom"

He had expected a reaction from the group, but they were all silent. Something which they never did.

Riku raised an eyebrow at them.

"What's with you guys?" he asked.

"I don't think I've seen the three of you so quiet. What, is there something on my face?"

The group didn't say anything.

"Guys?"

As he said that, the weirdest thing happened.

The group was there one second, and then disappeared in the next.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Taiyouko asked.

Riku didn't know what to say.

What was going on?

Why didn't his friends respond to him?

What's more, why did they disappear?

Riku looked at Taiyouko.

"Something's not right" he said.

"Let's go"

Taiyouko followed him across the beach as they tried to find the truth behind this strange phenomenon.

/

There were heartless everywhere as they ran through the islands.

"I don't remember there ever being heartless on the islands" Riku said as he slashed a heartless.

Taiyouko finished off a group with her magic.

"_This is probably Ienzo's doing" _she thought.

They made to the Paopu tree that stood out in the middle of the ocean.

As Riku crossed the beach, he felt that someone was watching him.

He turned around and saw Kairi standing in the middle of the bridge that connected the small island to the main land.

He surprised to see her.

"Kairi…" he said.

Taiyouko noticed her as well.

She knew that this was her daughter's best friend.

The fact that she was here meant something was up.

Riku seemed to notice this too.

"Hey, Kairi. Are you-"

She suddenly disappeared like the others did.

Riku panicked.

"No!"

Taiyouko bit her lip.

"Surely you knew this would happen"

They both turned around to see Zexion standing in the middle of the island.

Taiyouko swallowed the lump that was in her throat.

"Ienzo" she said weakly.

Zexion just gave her an emotionless stare.

Riku glared at him.

Zexion just focused on his prey.

"You've been to a number of worlds in your memory before this one" he said.

"And in those worlds, you met only dark beings. That's all that there's left in your heart: dark memories. Your memories of home are gone- each and every one"

Riku's hand curled into a fist.

"That's a lie!" he cried.

"I remember everyone from the islands! Tidus and Selphine and Wakka! Kairi, Sora and….Hikari! They're my…my…my closest friends"

Zexion scoffed when he mentioned his niece.

Even though he hadn't seen her in years, he still felt a little protective of her.

"And who threw away those friends?" he asked.

"Maybe it's your own actions that you've forgotten. You destroyed your home!"

Just then, the scenery changed.

The sun disappeared, plunging the sky into darkness.

Parts if the island were missing while some of them floated up towards the sky.

Riku gasped.

He knew what was happening.

"This is…that night!"

Taiyouko knew about this too.

This was similar to how her world was destroyed.

While it didn't plunge into darkness, it became the home of the heartless.

"All of the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered" Zexion said.

"Many hearts were forever lost to the darkness. Because of what YOU did!"

A version of Riku was standing near the edge of the island.

"You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. It was YOU!" Zexion said.

"You were pulled into the darkness then, and now you belong to the darkness"

Riku gripped his chest.

He simply couldn't belong to the darkness.

Taiyouko glared at her brother.

She knew what he was trying to do.

"Don't believe what he says, Riku" she said.

"He's spouting lies"

Zexion glared at her.

"You're one to talk, Onee-chan" he said.

"You've been known to spout lies as well. Remember that time when our world perished to the darkness?"

Taiyouko gasped as she remembered that day.

/

_Everyone was running for their lives as the heartless invaded Hollow Bastion._

_Many lives perished to the heartless and had their hearts taken from them._

_Taiyouko held Ienzo tightly as she ran through the castle hallways._

_When she got to a safe place, she placed him down and grabbed his shoulder._

"_Stay here, Ienzo. I'll be right back" _

_She knew Ansem was behind this and she had to find Hikari and Leon._

_She just knew he was trying to steal Hikari's heart._

_Ienzo looked scared for a moment._

"_But Onee-chan, there are monsters everywhere"_

_Taiyouko ran her hand through his hair._

"_It's ok, Ienzo" she said._

"_Those pesky little things won't finish your sister"_

_She stood up._

"_Stay here until I come back for you" she ordered._

_He nodded._

_With that, she ran down the hallway._

_As she left him, she didn't realize a dark portal had opened up behind him and snagged him through the darkness._

/

Taiyouko bit her lip as she recalled that memory.

It was because of her that he became this.

"_If I had taken him with me, none of this would have happened" _she thought.

She let out a shaky breath.

"I won't deny that I was the one hoe ruined your life" she said.

"Because of me, you perished with everyone else on our world. I was so worried about my children, that I didn't even bother to worry about my little brother. I thought Ansem would never hurt you, but I was wrong"

A tear ran down her face.

"You may hate me and despise me for what I've done. You can punish me as much as you like. But…"

She stood in front of Riku protectively.

"I will not let you harm this boy the same way that I harmed you!" she cried.

"He's done nothing wrong to you, so leave him alone"

Zexion just looked at her coldly.

He never could forget about that day.

He had always thought that he was the most important person in her life.

But when she left him that day to save her kids, he knew he was wrong.

He could never forgive her for that.

And if touring this boy affected her, then so be it.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Onee-chan" he said.

"This boy selfishly plunged his world into darkness, just so he could see other worlds. And for that, he must see what he has become"

The image of Riku transformed into Darkside and towered over them.

Riku pulled out his Soul Eater and got into a defensive stance.

"No matter where I go, darkness always follows me" he said to himself.

He started attacking the giant heartless, but it proved to be difficult.

He learned from experience that the best way to defeat a large enemy was to aim for the head.

But since this heartless towered over him by a few feet, he could only reach the hands.

"Come on, give me a break" he said.

Just as he said that, the ground rumbled before a few pillars came up from the ground and created a set of stairs.

Riku looked at Taiyouko to see that she was the one who did it.

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

Riku ran up the steps and was now high enough to reach the head.

He jumped off the ledge and slammed his Soul Eater in between the eyes.

The Darkside staggered a bit before fading back into the darkness.

Riku landed next to Taiyouko and breathed heavily.

Even thought that was a short fight, it still took a lot out of him.

He scanned the area for Zexion but instead of finding him, he found a familiar face.

Sora was standing near the edge of the island, looking out at the dark sky.

"Sora?"

Riku didn't know what was going on.

Why was Sora here?

He was supposed to be with Hikari.

He quickly ran up to him.

Taiyouko stayed behind so he could be with his best friend.

Riku stood behind Sora as he still looked out at the sky.

"Sora, it's me-"

Sora quickly reacted and swung his keyblade at him.

Riku quickly jumped out of the way and looked surprised.

Why was Sora acting this way?

Sora brought his keyblade down, but Riku blocked it with his Soul Eater.

"Stop it, Sora!" he cried.

"Don't you recognize me?"

Sora glared at him.

"Yeah, I recognize you" he said.

"I can see exactly what you've become!"

They both jumped out of the way.

Sora aimed his keyblade at him and shot a beam of light at his chest.

Riku went down upon impact.

"Riku!" Taiyouko cried.

She ran over to him and knelt beside him.

Sora slowly walked over to them.

"How can the light hurt you?" he asked.

"Riku…have you really become a creature of the dark?"

He glared at him as Riku slowly sat up.

"You're not Riku anymore…you're just a pawn of the darkness"

He gripped his keyblade tightly.

"How could you do this? Hikari really loved you! She poured her heart and soul out to you and you just turned her into a heartless!"

Memories of when Hikari got stabbed with Ansem's keyblade flashed through his head.

He remembered the blood dripping from the mouth. The weak smile she gave him when she realized that she saved him. The gentle way she confessed her feelings to him before she faded away.

Those memories stabbed him in the heart.

He didn't want to believe that he was the one who turned her into a heartless. He couldn't.

If he did, it would tear him up inside forever.

Taiyouko realized what was going on and knew that this wasn't really Sora. It was a trick.

Sora just glared at him when Riku didn't say anything.

"So be it" he said.

"IT's time for you to face the light!"

He held up his keyblade and had light pouring out of it.

Riku shielded his eyes as the light became too bright.

He was soon engulfed within the light.

/

Riku felt himself floating within the realm of light.

He couldn't open his eyes, nor find the strength to move his body.

He felt that this was probably the end of him.

"I'm…fading… " he said.

"Fading away…into the light"

"You won't fade" someone said.

Riku gasped.

That was Hikari's voice.

As if to further prove it, she suddenly appeared into his mind.

She still looked the same as he last saw her.

She smiled gently at him while her green eyes sparkled.

He couldn't help but feel overjoyed to see her after everything he went through.

"Hikari…"

Hikari just grinned at him.

"You can't fade" she said.

"There's no power that can defeat you-not the light, not the dark. So don't run from the light- and don't fear the darkness. Because both will make you stronger"

"Make me stronger?" Riku asked.

"Darkness too?"

Hikari nodded.

"Yeah" she said.

"Strength that's yours. The darkness inside your heart-it's vast and it's deep…but if you can truly stare into it and never try to look away, you won't be afraid of anything again"

Riku chuckled slightly.

"All this time I've tried to push the darkness away-" he said.

"You've gotta just remember to be brave" Hikari said.

"Know that the darkness is there and don't give in. If you do that, you will gain strength – the kind that's unlike any other. You'll be able to escape the deepest darkness-"

"And I'll be able to see through the brightest light-" Riku added.

"Follow the darkness" Hikari said.

"It'll show you the way to your friends"

"Can I face them?" Riku asked.

Hikari turned into Namine for a second.

"You don't want to?" she asked.

Riku shook his head.

"You know I do" he said.

"Of course"

Hikari smiled before disappearing.

"And I will!" Riku said.

"With my strength-My dark strength!"

He suddenly found himself being able to move.

He looked at his body before gathering all of the dark energy within in him.

"Darkness!"

The darkness gathered around him and sent him out of the realm of light.

"_Thanks Hikari"_

/

Taiyouko looked at Sora while Riku was trapped within his own mind.

She knew that she had to do something about him before he made things even worse.

Just as she was about to summon her bow of light, Riku suddenly got up.

He was in his dark mode and had his Soul Eater out.

He ran at Sora and sliced right through him.

'Sora' grunted.

"Impossible!"

'Sora' turned to be Zexion.

Taiyouko scowled.

She should have known it was him.

Illusions were one of his best tricks when he was still a child.

Zexion held his side as he looked at Riku.

"How is it that you found me when you were there in the light?" he asked.

Riku just glared at him.

"You reek of darkness" he said.

"Even the light can't block that smell"

Zexion scowled at that.

Riku just smirked.

"I guess I followed the darkness right to you" he said.

Zexion looked away.

"This is absurd…" he said.

"Then I shall make you see…that your hopes are nothing-nothing but a mere illusion!"

Taiyouko fired off one of her arrows of light and nicked him in the shoulder.

Zexion grabbed it in pain and looked at her.

"Not if I can help it" she said.

Zexion glared at her.

"You would side with a boy who is drenched in darkness than with your own brother?" he asked.

"You would fight your own family?"

Taiyouko's face looked grim as she notched another arrow in her bow.

"My brother perished with our world when the heartless invaded it" she said.

She aimed the arrow at him.

"Since you are nothing but an empty shell of him, then I'll release you from your misery and return you from where you came"

Zexion glared at her.

"So be it…Onee-chan"

He summoned up a giant book.

"_The Lexicon" _she thought.

Riku stood next to her.

"Are you ok with this?" he asked.

Taiyouko bit her lip.

"It must be done" she said.

Riku nodded and held up his Soul Eater.

"Then let's do this"

Zexion proved to be a tricky opponent.

He would weave illusions to try to throw them off, but Taiyouko would always counter them.

"I know how your Lexicon works, Ienzo" she said.

"After all…I'm the one who made it for you"

Zexion scoffed in disapproval.

He had forgotten about that.

When Taiyouko broke his illusions, he used that as the opportunity to attack the cloaked schemer.

He didn't look like someone who would perform physical attacks, or could handle them well.

Using his new renowned powers of darkness, he attacked him mercilessly.

He couldn't let someone like him running around.

If he could create illusions, then that was bad news.

Zexion finally couldn't handle his or Taiyouko's attacks and gave in.

He fell to his knees and held his chest.

He weakly glared at Riku.

"After all your protests, you're still like us, on the side of darkness" he rasped.

Riku glared at him.

"I know who I am" he said.

Zexion struggled to his feet.

"When did that happen?" he asked.

"You were always terrified of the dark before-"

Riku held up his Soul Eater.

"Not anymore!"

He was about give him the finishing blow, but Taiyouko stopped him.

"He's my brother. I'll do it"

Riku nodded and stepped back.

Taiyouko sadly looked at her brother before aiming her arrow at him.

"I'm sorry, Ienzo" she said.

"But this is for your own good"

She fired off her arrow and watched as it pierced his chest.

Zexion let out a strangle cry as it pierced him.

He staggered a bit before disappearing through a dark portal.

A tear slipped from her face as she watched her brother leave, for what it seemed to be the last time.

There was no way that he would live after being striked by something by pure light.

Riku reverted back to his normal self and looked at her.

"Taiyouko"

She looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

"It was for the best" she said.

"I may be sad, but I'll learn to get over it"

Riku looked at her sadly.

Taiyouko just held her hand out.

"Let's get out of here. There's nothing left for us"

Riku nodded and they both left the islands to return to the castle.

/

Zexion retreated back to the basement of the castle.

He held his side as he staggered to one of the walls for support.

Taiyouko's arrow was really affecting him, but that wasn't the only thing that caused him pain.

He never knew that Riku could use the power of darkness like he did.

He had never seen it before.

"What IS he?" he asked.

"No one's EVER worn the darkness the way that he does! It's impossible!"

He heard a portal open up and saw that Axel had appeared, however, he wasn't alone.

Riku was with him.

He gasped and backed up against the wall.

He looked at Riku for a moment and realized that it was Vexen's replica.

"Oh..oh, yes. The replica, of course"

He suddenly came up with an idea.

"We can use this Riku to defeat the real one"

He looked at Axel and saw that he had a strange look on his face.

"Axel?"

The red head just wore a creepy grin on his face.

He looked at the replica.

"Wouldn't you like to be real?"

The replica nodded.

"All you need id the kind of power that the real Riku doesn't have" Axel continued.

"If you can get that, you can be a new person-not Riku, nor anybody else. You won't just be a copy of someone. You will be unique, your OWN self"

Zexion didn't like where this was going.

"Axel!" he cried.

"What are you saying to him?"

Axel just grinned evilly.

"You know, he's as good a place to start as any"

Zexion backed away.

"You can't do this!" he cried.

The Replica suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his cloak and held him up to the point to where he was dangling from his feet.

The replica drained all of his dark energy from him and absorbed it within him.

Axel watched as he started to fade away.

"So sorry, Zexion" he said.

He pulled out the moon shaped necklace and twirled it around his finger.

"You just found out way too much"

As he was fading, Zexion's mind traveled towards his sister.

Even though she felt him alone that day and even though he became what he was today, he couldn't hate her for it.

He knew now that she had no idea what was going to happen to him and that she was acting like any mother would with her children.

Her kids were more important to her than her own life.

A small tear slid down his face.

"Onee-chan…" he rasped as he faded.

"Forgive me….and farewell"

With that, he disappeared forever.

/

Back with our two heroes, Riku and Taiyouko walked through the white halls of the castle.

As they were walking, Taiyouko suddenly came to a stop.

The feeling of something disappearing within her heart caused her to stop.

She could have sworn that she heard someone saying goodbye in her head.

She knew who that was.

"_Ienzo"_

Riku noticed that she had stopped and looked back at her.

"What's wrong?"

Taiyouko just shook her head.

"Nothing" she said.

They started walking again.

As they were heading up the stairs, Taiyouko placed a hand over her chest.

"_Goodbye, Ienzo" _she thought.

"_Always know that your older sister had always loved you. I always have and I always will"_

As they walked, a single tear fell down her face over the loss of her baby brother.

/

**A/N: This has got to be the longest chapter I've written for this story! So that explains a bit about Zexion and Taiyouko's relationship as brother and sister. The rest will be reviled in Birth By Sleep, so keep an eye out.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	11. Twilight Town

Chapter 11: Twilight Town

**A/N: Only one chapter left, and then it's on to the next story! I hope you're all looking forward to it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

As Riku and Taiyouko were walking though the castle, they heard Ansem's voice speak out.

"_Riku…Riku…."_

Riku stopped walking and looked around.

"Who's there?"

Taiyouko looked around as well.

If they could hear Ansem's voice, then that meant he was near.

" _I know you can feel it…"_Ansem said.

"_The grip that I have on your heart_"

Riku grabbed his chest.

"_You have let in the darkness, Riku. That means very soon your heart shall become an all consuming darkness"_

Riku glared.

"I'm not like that now!" he said.

"_Yes, you are"_

Riku suddenly felt his body go rigid.

"Riku?" Taiyouko asked.

"What's wrong?"

Riku tried to move his body, but he found it to be impossible.

"Can't move!" he said.

Darkness started to seep from his body.

"_The deeper the darkness runs inside you, the stronger I become" _Ansem said.

"_Controlling you is effortless"_

Taiyouko panicked and whipped out her bow and arrow.

She aimed it at Riku's chest.

"Hang on, Riku. This will only hurt a sec" she said.

She was about to fire off her arrow, but King Mickey interfered at the last second.

He went into Riku's heart and released him from Ansem's control.

Ansem growled.

"Must you interfere again?"

Riku fell back to the ground while Taiyouko checked to see if he was alright.

"Phew! Sure glad I made it in time! That outta keep Ansem busy for a while"

They both looked up to see that King Mickey was before him.

However, this time he was physically here instead of just an illusion.

Riku was flabbergasted.

King Mickey walked over towards them.

"Sorry I couldn't come here sooner, you two" he said.

Riku didn't say anything as he looked at him.

"Your Majesty, is that you?" he asked.

Taiyouko was surprised as well.

She didn't expect to see him here so soon.

Riku slowly went up to him and touched his face.

Mickey chuckled.

"That tickles!" He cried.

Riku let go of his face and stepped back a bit.

He couldn't believe that the King was really here.

He chuckled slightly.

"This time, you're not an illusion" he said.

"I'm so glad that you could make it here"

He suddenly fell on his butt in sheer shock.

Taiyouko knelt next to him while King Mickey panicked.

Riku waved them off.

"I'm ok. Don't worry" he said.

"I guess I'm relieved. I've-I've been alone for so long that having people around is…is a little overwhelming"

Taiyouko just giggled as she helped him up.

She looked at the King.

"But how did you make it here?" she asked.

"I thought it was too far"

"I found a card to help me" Mickey said.

He held up a card.

"I needed a way outta the realm of darkness, and then suddenly, this card appeared right in front of me. When I picked it up, I could see Riku's heart beyond the darkness. That's what let me find you two"

He handed the card to Riku.

"I guess the card thought its place was to be with you"

Riku took the card from him.

"Maybe you're right" he said.

Taiyouko pointed towards the door.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she asked.

"If we have a card, then let's use it!"

Riku chucked at her hyperness.

She pulled then towards the door and bounced on her feet as she waited for Riku to activate the card.

When the card glowed, the doors opened to lead them to another memory based world.

/

When they made it through the door, they found themselves in Twilight Town.

Taiyouko thought it was a lovely looking town with all of the buildings together and the little shops.

But what amazed her the most was the sunset that filled the sky.

"How beautiful" she breathed.

Riku looked around the area.

He had never been to this place before in the past.

The worlds that he had been to before were worlds that he remembered.

But this place was new.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"What is this place?"

He suddenly realized that King Mickey wasn't with them.

"Your Majesty?" he called out.

Taiyouko noticed that he was gone too.

"I guess he didn't go through the door" she said.

A portal opened up in front of them and had Ansem come out.

"You must battle me all alone" he said.

"Against my dark powers!"

Riku pulled out his Soul Eater while Taiyouko pulled out her bow.

They both pointed it to Ansem and prepared to fight.

They looked at him for a moment and realized that this wasn't Ansem.

His aura wasn't as dark as the real one.

They both lowered their weapons.

"What's this?" 'Ansem' said.

"Are you giving up? Finally ready to surrender to your fate?"

Taiyouko wore a know it all grin.

"You're not the true Ansem" she said.

'Ansem' looked taken aback.

"You're scent is different" Riku added.

"The Ansem in my heart smells darker. The odor is more foul. But your scent just isn't that. It's not darkness. It's something else"

He grinned.

"I finally understand" he said.

"You're the one who guided me when it started. You came to be pretending to be Ansem. You gave me the card-to make me face the darkness"

'Ansem' chuckled.

"That is correct" he said.

He stood perfectly still in front of them and revealed who he really was.

In his place, a man wearing a tribal like outfit with red bandages covering his entire face but his mouth and one eye stood in front of them.

Taiyouko gasped when she saw him.

Her eyes grew hard as she growled.

"You" she hissed.

The man looked at her unsurprised.

"I'm glad to see that you haven't changed all of these years…Taiyouko"

Taiyouko didn't say anything.

She just curled her hands into fists.

Riku sweat dropped at the sight.

"_She seems to know ever body that we've run into" _he thought.

The man looked at Riku.

"Diz, or so I am known" he said.

"You-I've watched you all along"

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked.

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?"

"For you to choose" Diz said.

"Choose?" Riku asked.

"You are a special entity" Diz explained.

"You exist between light and the dark. You stand in the twilight. You are to meet Namine, then choose"

"Namine?" Riku asked.

"Who's that?" Taiyouko added.

"You will know soon" Diz said.

He disappeared in a sphere of light and left them.

Riku looked at Taiyouko.

She still had a bitter look on her face.

"I take it you knew that guy as well?"

She nodded.

"Out of all the people that I've seen in this castle, I wished that he was the one who perished with my world"

She started walking and looked at Riku.

"Let's go find this Namine" she said.

"She must know what's going on"

Riku nodded and followed her.

They started their search for Namine.

/

Like all of the worlds that they've been to, Twilight Town was crawling with heartless.

"I'm starting to get tired of this" Taiyouko said.

Riku nodded as he put his Soul Eater away.

"I'm starting to get sick of this" he said.

Taiyouko patted him on the shoulder.

"It should all be over soon" she said.

"I can feel it"

They continued walking throughout the town until they reached the woods.

They went deep into the trees and reached a clearing.

They were surprised to see a mansion standing out here in the woods.

"You don't see that everyday" Taiyouko said.

"Maybe this is where Namine is?" Riku suggested.

Taiyouko shrugged.

"There's only one way to find out"

They were about to go through the gates, but someone stopped them.

"Hold it"

They turned around to see the Riku Replica standing before them.

He walked up to them and sneered.

"Hmph. You've changed" he said to Riku.

"Your own darkness-it doesn't frighten you anymore"

"How can you tell?" Riku asked.

The replica smirked darkly.

"Because I'm you" he said.

Riku glared at him.

"No. I'M me" he retorted.

The replica scoffed.

"I'm me' he says" he replied.

"Must be nice being real. A fake like me could never get away with saying that"

He looked at the ground.

"That's right, I'm a phony, a fake!" he cried.

"The way I look, the way I feel, everything I remember! And even this newfound power!"

Darkness seeped from his body.

The replica gripped his hands tightly.

"Even that Hikari girl found out I was a fake" he said.

That took Riku off guard.

This creep was near Hikari?

The replica just chuckled harshly.

"Even after everything I put her through" he said.

"Even when I made her think I cared only about Namine, even when I made her cry, she still didn't give up on me and searched through the truth. It sickens me that she prefers the real thing over the fake"

He looked at Riku.

"What makes you so much better than me?"

After hearing the mention of Hikari crying, Riku's blood boiled.

After seeing her cry once before, he had wished to never see that sight again.

He promised that he would always protect her and keep her smiling.

The thought of her crying over the thought of him not loving him just set him off.

How dare this replica try to impersonate him and break his sweetheart's heart?

He was going to pay.

The replica just glared at him.

"I thought by finding some new strength, I could finally be someone-someone who is not you!" he said.

"But…nothing changes…I'm still just empty! Everything about me is borrowed. As long as you're around, I'll never be more than a shadow!"

He pulled out his Soul Eater.

Taiyouko was about to summon her bow, but Riku grabbed her arm.

He had murder written in his eyes.

"He's mine" he growled to her.

Taiyouko nodded in understanding.

This was a battle for honor.

Riku pulled out his Soul Eater as well.

The two of them faced off for a second before clashing with each other.

Even thought they fought the same way, they both held different purposes with their fighting.

The Replica wanted to finally be someone and not a fake.

The real Riku wanted to restore his honor and make him pay for causing Hikari to cry.

He was her knight and he swore to himself that he would defeat anyone who would cause her pain.

Whether it be physical or mental pain.

Just thinking about her made this fight even greater.

Hikari was everything to her.

He never thought that she would love him out of everyone on the islands.

Even when he became a pawn of the darkness, it just made her more determine to save him and confess her love.

No other girl would do that for their crush.

"_Hikari_" he thought.

"_No matter what happens, I will always protect you! I'll protect your smile, your happiness, your dreams, your light. I will protect it all, for you always have and always will be…my princess"_

He pierced his Soul Eater right into the Replica's chest.

He went down for the count and lay flat on his back.

Darkness seeped out of his wound and spread out across the ground.

The replica chuckled weakly as he looked up at the sky.

"So…it's over" he said.

"Hmph. Death doesn't frighten me. Good riddance to a phony life. My heart was never real. I'm sure what I'm feeling now is probably all fake"

Riku looked at the replica as he faded.

"What are you feeling?" he asked.

The replica just watched as dark particles floated up in the sky.

"What happens when a fake dies-one like me?" he asked.

"Where will my heart go? Does it disappear?"

"It'll go somewhere" Riku said.

True, he couldn't forgive what he did to Hikari, but he felt bad that he had to vanish this way.

No one deserved this fate, not even a fake.

"Maybe to the same place as mine"

The Replica chuckled weakly.

"A faithful replica until the very end" he said.

"That's…ok"

With that, he faded into dark particles and floated up to the sky.

Riku watched as they disappeared.

Taiyouko placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You did the right thing" she said.

Riku looked at the ground.

"Then why do I feel bad?" he asked.

"It's only natural" Taiyouko replied.

"You are only human. The heart is such a mysterious thing. It makes us feel things that we don't wish to feel"

Riku looked at her.

"I guess you're right" he said.

Taiyouko gave him a small grin.

"Come on. Let's go meet Namine"

They both slowly went into the mansion to meet the witch.

/

They entered a completely white room with a pod standing in the middle.

Namine was watching Sora as he slept.

She held onto Hikari's drawing to her chest.

When she heard footsteps, she turned to see her expected guests.

She slowly walked up to them.

"Are you Namine?" Taiyouko asked gently.

Namine nodded.

"Yes" she said.

Riku instantly recognized her voice.

It was the same one that he heard on the islands.

She was the one who took Hikari's appearance.

"I see…that was you…" he said.

Namine looked confused.

"Huh?"

Riku shook his head.

"Forget it. It's nothing" he said.

Namine motioned for them to follow her.

"Please…come this way"

As they were walking, Riku noticed that Sora was sleeping in the pod.

Riku ran up to the pod.

"Sora!" he cried.

He looked at Namine.

"What have you done to Sora?"

Namine backed away slightly.

"Nothing" she said.

"He's just asleep. To get his memory back. Hikari is the same"

She told them about what happened to them during their stay in the castle.

"So they choose o forget about this castle…and get their old memories back?" Taiyouko asked.

Namine nodded.

She bit her lip as she looked at the sorceress.

She was the most important person to Hikari.

The same person that she made her forget.

This was so painful.

She looked at Riku.

"You have a choice to make, too" she said.

Riku looked at the pod.

"Why me too?" he asked.

"No one's messed with my memories"

"It's not your memories" Namine explained.

"It's your darkness. In your heart there is darkness, and in that darkness is Ansem. He may be at bay for now-but eventually he'll wake, and he will take over you just like he did before. But I have powers you can use. With my powers, I can put a tight lock on your heart. That way, Ansem could never come out from inside you"

Riku placed a hand on his chest.

That sounded like a good idea, but….

"What happens to me if I let you do that?" he asked.

"Will I forget everything like Sora and Hikari?"

Namine didn't say anything.

Riku slowly nodded.

"I'll have to" he said.

"The darkness in you will be sealed tight just like your memory" Namine said.

"You'll stop remembering the darkness. You'll go back to how you were"

She smiled gently at him.

"Riku, please choose"

Riku thought about it for a moment.

What would be the right choice?

He looked at Taiyouko.

Whatever he chose, it would affect her as well.

She gently smiled at him.

"I'll go with whatever you decide" she said.

"After all, we're in this together"

Riku smiled at her.

It was nice to know that there was someone who had his back.

He looked at Sora's pod.

"He doesn't even looked worried" he said.

"Will I sleep like that, too?"

"Yes" Namine said.

Riku smirked.

"Figure" he said.

"Sora always did as he pleased. Whatever we'd be doing together, he's find a way to slack off. Even trying to leave the islands-I did all the work on the raft by myself"

He just looked determined.

"That's it" he said.

"When this slacker wakes up, I'll tell him off. I told him to take care of Kairi and to protect Hikari for me while I was away, and here he is taking a nap!"

He looked at Namine.

"But I can't chew him out like he deserves-if I've been asleep"

Namine smiled.

Taiyouko did as well, knowing his answer.

Riku held his chest.

"I don't need my heart locked" he said.

"I'm ready-I'm gonna fight Ansem"

"But what if his darkness overtakes you?" Namine asked.

"If that happens, then the darkness will show me the way" Riku said.

Namine nodded.

"Yes…that's true"

Riku smirked.

"Why do I get the feeling that you knew what I was going to say?" he asked.

"I didn't know" Namine said.

"I hoped. I wanted you to face the darkness, because you're the one who can"

Riku smirked.

"So that's the reason-that's why you came to my rescue inside that light…in the form of Hikari"

Namine looked surprised.

"When'd you know?"

Riku shrugged.

"I knew when I met you" he said.

"You and Hikari share the same light. However, you and Kairi share the same smell"

Taiyouko looked at Namine.

"Namine…if Sora is here, then does that mean Hikari is here as well?"

Namine nodded.

"Yes, she's in the next room" she said.

"Would you like to see her?"

Taiyouko nodded.

"I want to see how my daughter is doing"

She turned to Riku.

"Who about you, Riku? I'm sure you want to see if she's ok"

Riku blushed a little, but nodded.

He really wanted to see her.

Even if she was sleeping.

Namine lead them to where Hikari's pod was.

/

Hikari was fast asleep as she floated within her pod.

Taiyouko touched the glassy surface of the pod.

She wore a sad smile on her face as she looked at her daughter sleeping.

"She was so cute when she slept as a child" she said.

"And she still is"

Namine looked at the ground.

"I'm very sorry" she said.

"I didn't mean to make her forget about you, but Marluxia…he said if I didn't, then I would-"

Taiyouko just placed her hands on her shoulders.

"It's ok" she said gently.

"I never blamed you for it. If you were forced to, then there was nothing that could be done"

Namine wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you"

Taiyouko smiled at that.

She looked at Riku, who was simply staring at Hikari.

He looked lost in thought as he watched her sleeping.

She patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll give you a minute alone with her" she said.

Riku looked grateful for that.

She and Namine left the room while Riku was alone with his sweetheart.

He smiled as he looked at her.

He was finally with her again.

Even if she was sleeping now, it felt good to have her close by.

He placed his hand on the pod as a way to be closer to her.

"Hey, Hikari" he said softly.

"I hope you're dreaming about something nice"

"_I hope you're dreaming about me"_

He placed his hand on her good luck charm.

"I've been taking care of your good luck charm. I even became good friends with your mom"

He smiled slightly.

"I'll have to admit, she can be a little crazy at times, but she's a great companion. I promise that I won't let anything happen to her"

His hand slid from the pod and fell back to his side.

His grin faltered a bit.

"I don't know how long you'll be asleep" he said.

"But don't worry. I'll look after you. You've always been there for me in the past, so now it's my turn to do the same for you. I'll protect you"

He gripped her charm tightly.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be your knight. I swear I will protect you always. You're my one and only princess"

He smiled at her.

"So sweet dreams. And…I love you. Always"

With that, he blew her a kiss and left the room to face Ansem once and for all.

/

**A/N: Only one chapter left! Will Riku be able to defeat Ansem? **

**You'll just have to review to find out.**

**Ja ne**


	12. The Road to Dawn

Chapter 12: The Road to Dawn

**A/N: Here we are at the final chapter of this story! Thanks for sticking with me for so long and keep an eye out for the next story!**

**And I'm sure some of you are wondering how Taiyouko knows Diz. You'll just have to find that out in the next story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.**

**Enjoy!**

/

When Riku and Taiyouko left Twilight Town and entered the castle, they were greeted by King Mickey.

The king smiled at them.

"Gosh. I guess you decided not to go to sleep"He said.

They both went over to him.

"How'd you know that?" Riku asked.

"I heard it from Diz" Mickey said.

They all looked at the bandaged man.

Taiyouko growled when she saw him.

Diz didn't say anything as he walked up to them.

"Do you know him?" Riku asked the king.

"Well, I'm not sure" Mickey said.

"Gotta feeling that I've meet him…somewhere…"

Riku walked up to Diz.

"Hey. Who are you?"

"I could be nobody or anybody" Diz said.

Taiyouko just rolled her eyes.

"Doubt it" she mumbled.

"It is up to you to whether you choose to believe in me or not" Diz said.

"Boy, you really like pushing decisions on other people" Taiyouko said dryly.

Diz just gave her a tired glare.

"I see you still have a mouth on you, Taiyouko" he said.

Taiyouko just growled at him.

Diz ignored her and looked at Riku.

"You have pushed away slumber making the choice to face Ansem" he said.

"Do you think I'm reckless?" Riku asked.

"You have chosen your own path" Diz explained.

Riku looked at him skeptically.

"Are you supporting me?" he asked.

"Or are you abandoning me?"

Taiyouko placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"That will be your choice as well" Diz said.

He went up to him and handed him an Organization cloak.

Riku took it and examined it.

"What's this?" he asked.

Diz looked at him seriously.

"The Organization will pursue you" he said.

"Like a pack of hunting dogs, they will sneak up on you if they sense your presence. However-this cloak that is worn by nobodies will render their eyes and their noses useless"

He looked at Mickey.

"The ears, not so…"

Riku examined the cloak a bit more.

"They wear this to give themselves protection from being devoured by darkness" Diz explained.

"Is it clear? Even the Organization cannot rule the darkness"

Riku gave him a determined look.

"Doesn't matter" he said.

"I won't run from the darkness"

Taiyouko looked at him proudly.

Diz just 'hmphed' as he handed them a card.

"The card will draw out your heart's darkness" he said.

"Finish your business with Ansem"

Riku put the card away and looked at Taiyouko and Mickey.

"Come on. Let's go" he said to them.

They both nodded and followed him down the hall.

As they passed Diz, Taiyouko glared at him.

Diz gave her a dark smirk.

"What? Are you not happy to see me?"

Taiyouko growled at him.

"Kiss off and die, old man"

She stormed after the two while Diz chuckled slightly.

"You never change" he said to himself.

/

As the trio walked up to the doors that would lead them deep within the castle, Riku looked at his comrades.

He didn't know what was going to happen with this battle between Ansem.

He had a feeling he could win, but what if he didn't?

He would become Ansem's puppet again.

He couldn't let that happen.

He bit his lip when he saw them looking at him.

"What' wrong, Riku?" Taiyouko asked.

Riku pulled the card out the card that Diz gave him.

"He said this card will draw Ansem out…" he said.

Mickey smiled at him.

"Don't worry!" he said.

"We can all defeat him together"

Taiyouko nodded in agreement.

"That's right. We're all in this together"

Riku shook his head.

"Sorry….I've got to face him alone"

Mickey looked hurt while Taiyouko looked like she understood.

"But why?" Mickey asked.

Riku looked at the doors.

"There's no point in doing this if I can't do it on my own" he said.

He looked at them.

"But I do need a favor"

"What is it?"

Riku looked at them nervously.

"If Ansem is the victor, he's going to enslave me" he said.

"If that happens, I need you both to use your powers to destr-"

"Of course! We'll be right there to save you!" Mickey interrupted him.

Riku looked taken aback.

That wasn't what he meant.

"Huh? No that's not it. I want you to destr-"

"No way!" Taiyouko said.

"No matter what happens, we'll be right there to help you. We promise you that"

Her smiled faltered.

"Unless…you don't believe we'll come through for you"

Riku grinned at them.

"I choose to believe in you two-always"

Taiyouko smiled.

"Oh, good"

She pointed towards his chest.

"Besides, you made a promise to Hikari"

Riku nodded and grabbed her good luck charm.

"Right. I promised that I would look after her while she's sleeping. I won't be able to do that if I lost"

Mickey nodded.

"You're not gonna lose, I know it"

Riku smiled.

"Thanks"

They all looked at the door in front of them.

"Well, let's get this over with" Taiyouko said.

Riku held out the card and activated the doors.

They all stepped through them and entered deep within Castle Oblivion.

/

They all ran down the dimly lit hallways.

Riku scanned the area for his enemy.

"Ansem! Where are you? Show yourself!"

Laughter echoed throughout the hallways.

"_Why in such a hurry?" _he asked.

"_I'll be here at the very heart of darkness…watching you plunge into the same darkness-inside of you_ "

Riku glared at the ceiling and took off down the hall.

Taiyouko and King Mickey followed him.

/

When Riku came into an open room, he skidded to a stop.

There were heartless everywhere.

He pulled out his Soul Eater and growled.

"There doesn't seem to be an end to this"

Taiyouko and King Mickey quickly stood in front of them and summoned their weapons.

"Leave this to us!" Mickey said.

"Just save your strength for Ansem" Taiyouko said.

"You'll need it"

Riku was about to protest, but Taiyouko stopped him.

"Don't argue with me boy! Just do as you're told!"

Riku nodded and allowed his comrades to clear the room of heartless.

They worked well together as they performed combos of magic and physical attacks.

They kept doing this as they went deeper within the castle.

At one point, Riku came to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Mickey asked.

"He's here" Riku said.

"I can smell him"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Taiyouko asked.

"Let's go"

She was about to leave, but Riku stopped her.

"I go alone from here" he said.

"You both just stay here until the fight is over"

Taiyouko pouted a bit, but obliged.

She knelt down to his level and gave him a big hug.

"You be careful now, ok?"

Riku gave her a one armed hug in return.

"I will"

He took a step forward and looked at his friends.

"I'll be back" he said.

They both nodded and watched as he left them.

/

Riku came into the next room and stopped.

"I can smell you, Ansem" he said.

"Show yourself"

Ansem chuckled darkly before appearing.

He smirked coldly at his prey.

"I have watched you fight" he said.

"I know your strength. Your skill with darkness has grown. It has become more mature"

He frowned.

"And yet, why…why do you accept darkness-but still refuse it? You know you and I are similar. We both follow where the darkness leads. Indeed, we are the same, so why? Does some part of your heart still have a fear of the dark?"

Riku shook his head.

"That's not it" he said.

"The truth is…"

He pulled out his Soul Eater.

"I just can't stand your foul stench"

Ansem smiled coldly at him.

"You are a fool" he said.

"You should know my powers well by now"

"Yeah, I know" Riku said.

"Or did you forget? I used all the power you had to give-and Sora and Hikari still beat me. I'm not at all impressed with your powers!"

Ansem just chuckled.

"Very well" he said.

"In that case-you shall sink into the abyss!"

Darkness erupted from his being and engulfed the whole area.

Riku soon found himself within the realm of darkness.

He quickly jumped out of the way when someone tried to slam their fist on him.

He looked to see that Ansem had his dark guardian with him and was floating above the ground.

Ansme grinned wickedly as he folded his arms.

Riku gripped his Soul Eater tightly as he faced him.

This would be his final battle.

This would determine if he had control of the darkness that was in his heart.

Ansem started the attack.

He made his guardian attack while he floated off at the side.

Riku blocked all of the guardian's attacks and pushed it at bay until it retreated back towards Ansem.

This was all that Riku needed.

He lunged at Ansem and started fighting.

He felt his chest burning from the control Ansem had over it, but he didn't care.

If he was going to beat him, he had to live through the pain.

This was the only way he could win.

"_If I don't beat Ansem" _he thought.

"_I'll become his puppet again. And if that happens…then I'll never see my friends again"_

Just thinking about all of his friends pushed him farter.

He fought twice as hard and deflected all of Ansem's attacks.

"_You won't win!"_

This went on for a few minutes.

Finally, Riku got the upper hand and landed the finishing blow to Ansem.

The seeker of darkness let out a painful grunt.

They returned back to the castle, where they faced off with each other.

Ansem held his chest as he weakly glared at Riku.

Riku held his Soul Eater up, ready to finish him off once and for all.

Ansem formed a ball of dark energy and threw it at Riku.

"Insolent brat!"

Riku blocked it with his sword and glared at him.

"Ansem!"

He ran at him and hacked right through him.

Ansem let out a strangled cry.

Riku gripped his sword, not even bothering to see the damage he had done.

It was over.

"This is the end" he said.

Ansme staggered a bit.

How could he have lost to a brat like him?

A child who wielded the power of darkness, but wouldn't use it.

"This…is hardly…the end…" he rasped.

"Your darkness-I gave it…all to you…my dark shadow… lingers…someday…someday…I will return!"

With that, he erupted into a mass of darkness, blanketing everything in sight.

Riku got caught up in it and was thrown into the realm on nothingness.

The last thing he thought of before he blacked out were those who were dear to him.

"_Hikari…Sora…Kairi…"_

As he was floating, Hikari's good luck charm glowed.

That triggered Mickey and Taiyouko to come to his Riku.

"Gosh, Riku. We know you wanted to do this alone…" Mickey said.

"But you don't mine a LITTLE help, do ya?" Taiyouko added.

They wrapped his arms around their shoulders and brought him back to the realm of light.

/

With Ansem out of the way, the three of them finally made it towards the entrance of the castle.

"Finally" Taiyouko said.

"I was starting to get sick of seeing only white"

Riku chuckled slightly at that.

King Mickey looked at him.

"So, Riku…what happens next?" he asked.

"Are you going home?"

Riku stopped walking and looked at the floor.

"I can't go home-not yet" he said.

He looked at his hands.

"It's still here. It's really faint, but I can sense him. So I think his darkness may still have a hold on me"

"Your darkness belongs to you" Taiyouko reminded him.

"Just the same way your light does"

Mickey nodded.

"Up till now, I thought darkness was something that should never exist" he admitted.

"Then, I spent time with you and changed my mind. The road you chose-I didn't know. Light and dark, back to back. With you, I think they might meet in a way nobody's seen before"

He smiled and held out his hand.

"Wonder where that road leads. I'd like to see myself. I'd like to walk the road with ya"

Riku looked touched.

He knelt down so he was eye level with the King.

He gripped his hand tightly.

"Your Majesty. I'm really flattered…I don't know what to say"

Mickey laughed.

"Gosh, Riku. You know you don't have to call me that now. We're pals"

Riku grinned.

"Fair enough…Mickey"

Taiyouko pouted playfully.

"Hey, what about me?" she asked.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

Riku chuckled and stood up so he was facing her.

"It wouldn't be a journey without you, Taiyouko" he said.

"After all, we're a team until Sora and Hikari wake up"

He held out his hand to her.

"Let's make this an interesting journey"

Taiyouko looked at his hand for a moment before grinning.

She simply pulled him into a big hug.

"You should know by now that I'm a hugger"

She let him go and brushed the hair out of his face.

"Plus, I love to pamper children, so expect to be messed with"

Riku chuckled as he gently swatted her hand away.

He suddenly remembered something that she told him.

"Hey, Taiyouko. Remember that story you told me a while back? The one about light and darkness?"

She nodded.

"Yep, and how a light will always shine within?"

"Right"

"What about it?"

Riku ran his hand through his hair.

"I've been thinking about what my light would be, and I finally figured it out"

Taiyouko looked happy.

"What is it?"

Riku blushed a little.

"This may sound cheesy…but it's Hikari" he said.

"She's always been there for me, before and after we left the islands. Even when I sided with the darkness, she never gave up on me. She even sacrificed herself for me"

He gripped her good luck charm.

"As long as I think about her and of the promise we made, then the darkness will never get to me. I'll just think of her smile and then I'll be ok"

Taiyouko giggled.

"You're right, that did sound cheesy" she said.

"But that also shows how much she means to you"

Riku smiled.

Mickey started walking towards the door.

"Well, let's get out of this place"

Thy nodded and followed the king out of the castle.

/

The dirt roads were lonely and barren that night.

But that all changed when three individuals walked down one of the many dirt paths that littered the ground.

Riku and King Mickey wore the black cloaks that Diz gave them while Taiyouko wore a long black shawl over her shoulders.

She would have stood out in her white dress otherwise.

When they came to a cross road, they stopped.

Diz stood in the middle of the road and looked at them.

Riku have him a hard look.

"What are you making me choose now?" he asked.

"Between the road to light-and the road to darkness" Diz said.

Riku smirked.

"Neither suits me" he said.

Taiyouko and Mickey looked at him.

Riku started walking towards the middle road.

""I'm taking the middle road"

They both followed after him.

Diz looked over his shoulder.

"Do you mean the twilight road to nightfall?" he asked.

Riku stopped.

"No" he said.

He looked back at Diz.

"It's the road to dawn"

/

With Castle Oblivion in shambles and its ruler destroyed, many events had happened after that.

The road that Riku and the others took had lead them to the caverns of Hollow Bastion.

Everything was fine as they walked, but Riku suddenly felt pain in his chest and had to stop.

Mickey and Taiyouko panicked and rushed to his side.

"Are you ok?" Taiyouko asked.

Riku nodded and stood up straight.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry"

He started walking again.

Mickey and Taiyouko looked at each other sadly, then hurried after Riku when he was getting to far away.

/

In the market place of Twilight Town, a young woman with long black hair tied up into a pony tail and purple eyes walked through the streets.

As she did, Axel came up to her and held out the moon shaped necklace that he held onto.

The woman looks shocked and hugs him tightly while he chuckles at her.

They end up sitting on the town's clock tower, eating ice cream and catching up with each other.

/

With Namine and Diz, they watched as Sora and Hikari slept.

Namine held onto her sketchbook and looked at the image that Hikari made for her before she went to sleep.

/

On a different part of Twilight Town, two siblings were walking down the street.

One was a female who had shoulder length black hair that covered half of her face and had part of her hair pulled back into a small pony tail and had green eyes.

The brother had spiky dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

The two of them caught up with their friends and chatted for a while before heading towards the clock tower to look at the sunset.

_Beyond the path without you _

_Is a forgotten promise to keep._

_We may have walked side by side, _

_But now we go on back to back._

_And though our paths may not cross, _

_All paths are connected somewhere._

_When I arrive at where you are, _

_We may not appear to be as we were…_

_But we'll make another promise to keep._

Another side another story was about to begin.

/

**A/N: And there you have it. I bet you're wondering who these new people were that I introduced at the end of the chapter. You'll find out in the next story.**

**Thank you again for reviewing this story, you guys are awesome.**

**Please send your reviews and I'll get the next story posted up ASAP.**

**Ja ne!**


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